In Another Life
by Liayso
Summary: AU. In another life, they would have met at a party and a relationship would blossom from there. But the conspiracy would still rip them apart, as well as bring them back together. MichaelxSara
1. Start of Something

Title: In Another Life  
Chapter 1: Start of Something  
Rating: M or R  
A/N: Well, I'm back with a new story. I hope you guys like this one too.

* * *

Her feet were killing her!

Sara swore under her breath as she tried to walk in the new heels her stepmother bought her to wear especially for her father's charity dinner. The shoes were beautiful, black and high with straps wrapping around her feet and ankle, but they hurt like hell! Sara was sure that she would fall and/or snap one of those heels before the night was done.

After fiddling with one of the straps on her left heel, Sara set her foot down and smoothed down her black dress which reached an inch and a half past her knees. She turned to look at herself in the bathroom mirror, giving her reflection a forced smile. She really didn't like going to her father's dinner parties, even if it was for charity. She never really meshed well with the people that went to these kinds of things. Sara sighed.

"Well, back to the party."

With her hand on the washroom door handle, she took a deep breath before stepping back into the thrall of people drinking, eating, and chatting the night away. Sara searched the small crowds for the heads of her father and stepmother, but it was her stepmother who found her first.

"Sara! Sara!" The blonde haired petite woman waved her arm in the air, trying to grab her stepdaughter's attention.

Sara smiled at her. She found her stepmother's lively nature and enthusiasm endearing. Her kind nature and bright smile made her father's remarriage after Sara's mother's death easier for her to accept when Sara was a teenager. It wasn't possible for her to not like the sweet woman. But still, Sara wondered how an optimistic woman like her stepmother fell for a grouch of a man like her father. She guessed some things in life would never be explained.

Sara began walking in the direction of where her stepmother and father stood, but someone took a step back and bumped right into her. She, being unable to walk properly in her new shoes, stumbled and began to fall. Sara shut her eyes and braced herself for the impact of her body hitting the tiled floor, but it never came. Instead, she felt two long strong arms catch her and set her back on her feet.

"Whoa, I got you!"

Sara looked up at her savior and found herself staring into the most gorgeous pair of blue green eyes she has ever seen in her life. She immediately felt her heart skip a beat in her chest. A small gasp escaped from her throat. He smiled down at her. Sara felt her knees shake and she knew it wasn't because of the shoes.

"Are you all right?" He asked her, his voice deep and husky and very pleasing to her ears.

"Yes, thank you," Sara replied to her shaven head hero, a slight blush upon her cheeks.

"You're welcome," he said, still smiling. He let go of her shoulders and Sara instantly missed the warm contact.

He chuckled slightly. "You're very graceful," he said with a bit of playful sarcasm.

Sara blushed even more, but this time in embarrassment. "It's my new shoes. I haven't exactly broken them in yet."

"Sara! Sara!" Her stepmother was calling her again.

Sara looked to the man in front of her. "I should go," she reluctantly said, motioning to her stepmother. "Thank you again, for catching me."

He smiled again and Sara felt her breath hitch. "No problem."

Sara nodded and excused herself as she began walking away. She couldn't help but sneak one more glance back at the man as she did.

---

Her stepmother ended up parading Sara around the party, introducing her to all of her father's young eligible male employees and such, trying to play matchmaker. But Sara wasn't interested. And she was tired of walking around. She eventually managed to sneak away to the balcony of the building. Standing in the cold night air, she slipped off those terrible shoes and held them by the straps. They dangled from her hands as she leaned her arms onto the stone railing of the balcony. She looked down below her, seeing the bright streets of Chicago before her and let out a small sigh. She was very tempted to let go of the hold she had on her shoes and let them fall to the streets below.

"You took off your shoes," a voice behind Sara said.

She turned slightly and saw the man who had caught her earlier. He smiled and came up beside her.

"Yeah, I couldn't take wearing them anymore."

He chuckled. "It must be tough being a woman."

Sara smiled. "You have no idea."

The man held out his hand to her. "I'm Michael by the way, Michael Scofield."

Sara took his hand into hers and shook it. "Sara Tancredi."

"Tancredi?" Michael asked, his eyes perking up in curiosity, "Like the governor?"

Sara bit her bottom lip and looked away. "Yes."

Sensing her discomfort, Michael decided to change the subject. "So Miss Tancredi, what are you doing out here?"

She looked back up at him. "I'm hiding from my stepmother."

Michael smiled lightly. "Why? Is she evil?"

Sara laughed. "No, she's rather sweet. It's just that all night she's been trying to play matchmaker for me."

"Ah, I see. None of the suitors she picked to your liking?" He playfully asked.

"Not exactly, I just don't want to get involved with a politician, especially ones that work for my father."

"Oh," Michael said, smiling to himself. He turned around and leaned his back against the balcony railing. "Then I guess the odds are in my favor, seeing as how I'm neither."

Sara turned away, a deep crimson blush staining her cheeks and a smile threatening to form on her lips. She laughed slightly before looking back up into his eyes.

"Are you flirting with me, Mr. Scofield?" She asked with a smile.

"Maybe," he responded with a smile of his own and a twinkle in his eye.

They both laughed. Sara breathed in the cold night air deeply before speaking once more.

"So, you're not a politician and you don't work for my father," she began, "so what are you then, Mr. Scofield? A party crasher?"

Michael chuckled. "I'll have you know, Ms. Tancredi, that I am a structural engineer. And I was invited to this little shindig." He smiled at her.

"Oh really?"

"Yup. My firm was the one that designed those new offices for your father's workers. So we were offered an invitation in thanks."

"Oh," Sara smiled and continued, "I stopped by those offices a few days ago. I love the layout and the design. You guys did a fine job."

"Thank you. It was my first big project."

"Well, congrats on your first big successful project, Mr. Scofield."

"Thank you," Michael said again, "and you can call me Michael."

"I will, if you'll call me Sara," she said.

"All right then, Sara." Michael smiled. He liked the way her name rolled off his tongue. So did Sara.

Sara involuntarily shivered. A cool night breeze blew by, causing her to grab her bare arms with her hands and rub them. Michael saw this.

"You cold?"

"Just a little."

"Do you want to go back inside?"

"No. I like it out here," Sara said, and in her mind she added, 'with you.'

Michael then began to take off his suit jacket. "Then wear my jacket."

Sara held up her hands in polite protest. "I couldn't."

"I insist," and with that, Michael wrapped it around her shoulders.

Sara smiled to herself, slightly blushing. "Thank you," she said as she tugged on it to wrap it even more tightly around herself. The jacket was very warm and was still strong with his male scent.

A comfortable, yet somewhat shy, silence passed between them before Michael spoke up once again.

"So," he began, "what do you do for a living, Sara?"

"I'm a doctor. I'm just finishing up my residency."

"Wow, beautiful and smart," Michael said smiling. "You're turning out to be a dream-come-true."

Sara chuckled, turning red once again. "You're turning out to be quite the charmer."

He laughed along with her. "I try."

---

Eileen Tancredi practically searched the entire building for her stepdaughter, but she had no luck. She even took a peek into the men's restroom, earning herself a yelp from a guy standing at a urinal.

"Have you seen Sara?" She asked one of her husband's co-workers. He shook his head at her. She let out a disappointed sigh and politely thanked him.

She walked around the hall, searching the crowds for a red headed woman. Still no luck. She continued scanning the room, and then caught sight of a red head standing out on the balcony with a man. She neared the balcony entrance and heard the woman laugh. Eileen instantly knew it was Sara. She had a laugh that was different from other people, and she laughed so rarely it was easy to tell it was her.

"There you are!" Eileen exclaimed, coming up behind her stepdaughter and the man she was chatting with.

The couple turned towards the balcony entrance to see her approach them.

"I've been looking everywhere for you!" She exclaimed with her eyes set on Sara. But then she stopped in her tracks and took a good look at the man next to her. She blinked then grinned. "Well hello!"

Sara chuckled inwardly. "Mom, this is Michael Scofield. Michael, this is my stepmother, Eileen Tancredi."

"Pleased to meet you, ma'am," Michael said, shaking her hand.

Sara's stepmother looked at him from head to toe, checking him out. "Very pleased to meet you too!"

Sara chuckled once again before speaking. "You were looking for me?"

Eileen turned to her daughter. "Oh yes. Your father wants to speak to you."

"Oh." Sara glanced at Michael and then turned back to her stepmother. "Can you give me a minute?"

"Sure Sweetie," Eileen said with a smile. She left them alone on the balcony once again.

Sara turned to Michael and began slipping his jacket off her shoulders.

"Thank you for letting me wear your jacket." She smiled at him. "It's been nice talking to you."

Michael smiled back. "It's been nice talking to you too." He paused and quickly glanced down then back up. "Maybe we could talk again? Perhaps over a cup of coffee?"

Sara smiled and nodded. "I'd like that." She reached into her purse and rummaged in it to find a pen and something to write on. She found a candy wrapper. It would have to do. She scribbled her phone number on it and took a hold of Michael's hand, placing the wrapper into his palm.

"That's my cell phone number."

"When's a good time to call?"

"Before nine is good."

"An early riser, I like that," Michael said with a grin. "So if I called you tomorrow morning, would you answer?"

Sara slyly smiled back. "We'll see."

She reluctantly slipped her shoes back onto her feet and began walking away. She snuck one more glance at Michael before she re-entered the building, and saw that he was grinning right at her. She smiled back.

This was definitely the start of something.


	2. Hanging Out

Title: In Another Life (Chapter 2: Hanging Out)  
Author: Liayso  
Rating: R or M  
Summary: In another life, they would have met at a party and a relationship would blossom from there. But the conspiracy would still rip them apart, as well as bring them back together.  
A/N: Here's the next chapter! Oh and just in case if you were wondering, this fic begins when Sara's like only 25 years old and autumn is just beginning. Enjoy!

* * *

The cool air blowing in through his open window chilled his bare chest as he slowly woke up from his slumber. Michael rose and sat up in his bed, running a hand over his face to rub the sleep out of his eyes. He slipped out of bed and padded over to his dresser to pull out a pair of sweat pants. Sliding them over his boxers, Michael walked out of his bedroom and headed to his kitchen.

With one hand, he grabbed a glass from the dish rack and used the other to open his refrigerator and grab a carton of orange juice. He kicked his refrigerator door closed and sat at his kitchen counter, pouring the juice into his glass.

As he brought the glass to his lips, the little pile of things on his counter caught his eye. At the center of his counter were the things in his pocket from the night before: his cell phone, keys, and a little crinkled candy wrapper with a certain red head's phone number printed neatly on it.

Michael smiled. He didn't expect to enjoy himself as much as he did last night. When his firm received the invitation to go to the party, Michael had declined, saying that he really didn't want to go. But his co-worker, as well as his friend, Andrew urged him to go, saying that he might meet a pretty girl and "get lucky." Michael laughed it off, telling his friend, "Yeah, right," but his friend was persistent, responding that there would also be "free booze." In the end, Michael went to the party and was glad that he did.

The party was what Michael had first expected it to be, just a bunch of people talking and drinking, people that probably didn't care much for the charity that the party was being held for. So Michael busied himself with a few drinks and stuck by Andrew who was eyeing a tall blonde with long legs. He seemed eager to ditch Michael to go talk to her and soon enough he did, leaving Michael to himself. He sat alone for awhile before deciding that he was going to leave the party early.

"Sara! Sara!"

Michael looked up from his drink and saw a small older blonde woman waving her arm frantically in the air. Michael chuckled softly and slightly pitied the person that the lively woman was embarrassing. He followed the woman's line of sight and turned to see who 'Sara' was.

Michael felt his breath hitch in his throat at the vision he saw. There, across the room, was a beauty unlike he's ever seen before. She wore a v-cut black dress that showed only a modest amount of cleavage and hugged every curve of her body. Her auburn hair, which shined and glowed under the florescent lighting of the room, was curled and fell about her milky white shoulders. And on her face was one of the warmest smiles Michael has ever seen in his life. If she was embarrassed by the older woman's antics to get her attention, she didn't show it. In fact, it seemed like she welcomed the act and found it endearing. And that trait of hers made Michael all the more attracted to her.

As 'Sara' began making her way across the room, Michael stood up and watched her, his eyes locked onto her face. She neared where he stood and Michael felt himself being drawn into her radiating aura.

Then suddenly, someone in front of her took a step back, bumping into her and causing her to stumble. Instinctively, Michael reached out and caught her in his arms, noticing how soft and smooth her skin felt beneath his fingertips.

He looked down at her the same time she looked up at him and their eyes were immediately locked onto each other. Michael heard a small, barely audible, gasp escape from her lips and he smiled, pleased to know that he had the same effect she had on him.

She mumbled her 'thanks' to him, and he made a crack about her being graceful, and instantly regretted it because it was rude. But she brushed it off with a smile and a slight blush, not taking it as an insult at all. She then slipped away from him and began walking to the woman that was calling her.

Michael never took his eyes off her and he smiled when she glanced back at him. That simple glance told him that there just might be something there.

He explored that 'something' later on when he found her alone on the balcony. Michael at first was nervous about approaching her, but there was something about her that drew him to her and made him feel a bit bolder. They talked and Michael found her even more likable with each word that she spoke. He would have enjoyed talking to her all night, but she had to leave. But before she left him though, she gave him her phone number.

And here he was now, finishing his glass of orange juice and staring at the number on the candy wrapper.

Many thoughts ran through Michael's head. Should he call her? God Knew that he wanted to. But would she think he was too forward or too eager? Did she even want him to call her?

Michael chuckled. Idiot, if she didn't want him to call her then she would never have given him her number in the first place.

He reached for his phone. It wouldn't hurt to try. He flipped it open but then it suddenly started to ring.

---

Sara exited her bathroom, dressed in a blue blouse and jeans. Her hair was slightly damp from her morning shower. She slipped on her old Northwestern sweater from her college days and glanced at the clock which was on her bedside table. It read 8:14 AM. Sara sighed and headed towards her kitchen to pour herself a glass of water. As she brought the glass up to her lips, her eyes caught sight of her cell phone which lay on her table.

Sara stared hard at it, trying to will it to ring.

'He's not going to call, is he?' Sara thought and let out a disappointed sigh. She placed her empty glass in the sink, but then she suddenly turned around at the sound of her phone ringing.

---

Lincoln sat in his jail cell at the downtown police station. The back of his head rested against the stone wall as he waited. Soon enough, a police officer came up to his cell and banged his nightstick on the bars.

"Burrows! Your brother's here!"

He opened the cell door and Lincoln stepped out. He followed the officer into the station lobby where he found a very irritated looking Michael waiting for him. They made him sign some papers and soon Lincoln was following his little brother out of the police station. They walked in complete silence to Michael's car. Lincoln could tell that Michael was pissed at him.

It was only until the two brothers climbed into the car when Michael spoke up.

"I'm not even going to ask what you did this time."

Lincoln just nodded solemnly and the rest of the car ride was void of conversation as Michael drove to where Lincoln lived. When Michael parked his car in front of Lincoln's apartment building, he let out a long sigh filled with silent frustration. Lincoln glanced at him.

"Thanks Bro," he said.

Michael didn't respond.

"Do you want to come up? Maybe grab a bite to eat?" Lincoln offered.

Michael replied without even looking at him. "Can't, I got things to do." He was lying. He didn't have anything to do. He had the day off from work.

"All right," Lincoln said a bit bitterly. He opened the passenger door and stepped out.

When the door shut, Michael started up his car with nonchalance. Lincoln watched him drive off.

---

Sara watched as the black liquid turned brown as she stirred the creamer into her cup of coffee. She sat in a diner across from her stepmother. It had been she who had called her earlier and asked her out to breakfast, not Michael. Sara did her best to hide her disappointment, but nothing ever slipped passed Eileen Tancredi.

She watched her stepdaughter as she looked out the diner window with distracted eyes. Eileen frowned.

"You know, I thought you would be a bit merry today, what with you meeting that cutie Michael Scofield last night."

Sara abruptly looked at her stepmother and blinked at her in slight shock.

"Marry? Mom, I just met him!"

Eileen chuckled. "Sweetie, I didn't mean 'marry' as in wedding ring and white gown. I meant 'merry' as in happy," she said, smiling as Sara looked down in embarrassment. Her smile broke into a teasing grin. "I guess I know where your mind's at."

"Mom, please. It's not like that," Sara said.

Eileen was still grinning. "Really? So what were you thinking about just five minutes ago? Wait, let me rephrase that. I mean, _who_ were you thinking about just five minutes ago?"

Sara only turned a deeper shade of red.

"Oh my!" You're quite smitten with this man, aren't you?" Eileen took a sip of her coffee. "Can't blame you though. He's quite the looker."

Sara smiled lightly and slowly nodded. She let out a long sigh. "Maybe that's it," Sara said solemnly. "Maybe he's just another charming pretty face that tries to see how many numbers he can score in one night."

Eileen blinked at her, silently telling her that she didn't understand.

"I gave him my number," Sara explained, "he was supposed to call me this morning..."

"But he didn't," Eileen finished her sentence.

Sara nodded and proceeded to look down at her cup of coffee again.

"Maybe something came up," Eileen said, trying to console her stepdaughter.

"Yeah," Sara replied half-heartedly.

Eileen looked at her with concern. "Oh, don't be such a pessimist! Good things do happen, Sara. You just need to have a little faith."

Sara nodded and took a sip of her own coffee. The two women finished off their breakfast and left the diner.

"Do you want me to drop you off at work, Sweetie?" Eileen asked.

"I don't have work today."

"Oh, then home then?"

Sara shook her head. "I think I'm going to take a walk."

"All right, Sweetie." Eileen hugged her stepdaughter and kissed her on her cheek. "Take care."

"You too," Sara said, hugging her back. "Bye Mom."

Eileen waved and got into her white car. Sara watched as she drove away. She let out a soft sigh and stuck her hands into the pockets of her sweater. Summer was ending and autumn was starting to show signs of its arrival.

---

Michael tossed his keys on his coffee table as he walked into his apartment. He threw himself on his sofa and let out a long sigh. He looked at the clock hanging on his wall. It was half past nine. It was too late to call Sara now.

Michael threw his head back and sighed once more. This morning wasn't supposed to turn out like this. It was supposed to start out with a cup of coffee with a beautiful red-headed woman. Michael pulled out his cell phone. Maybe he should just try calling her anyway.

No. Michael shook his head. There was a reason why she told him that he could only call her before nine, and that reason was probably because she had to be at work early. He couldn't bother her while she was with a patient. Michael put his phone back in his pocket. He didn't know what to do on his day off. But he couldn't just stay in his apartment, sitting on his ass all day. Michael stood up and grabbed his keys from the table. He would go out for a walk.

---

The streets of Chicago were coming to life and the sidewalks were filling with people. Michael walked with his hands in his pockets and looked at his surroundings. It's been awhile since he took a walk throughout the city he called home. Maybe going for a walk wasn't such a bad idea after all.

He then looked forward as he neared an intersection crosswalk. Michael's eyes widened and he stopped in his tracks. Standing at the corner of the street across from him was Sara. She was getting ready to cross the street to the corner diagonal from where he was.

"Sara!" Michael called out, but she didn't hear him.

The light was going to change soon and she would cross. Michael had to do something to catch her attention. He dug into his pocket for his cell phone and quickly punched in her phone number.

The light turned green and Sara was about to cross when suddenly she heard the ring tone "Pachelbel Canon" of her cell phone go off. She took it out and flipped it open bringing it to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Wait right there Sara!"

Sara recognized that voice. "Michael?"

"Yeah, it's me. Just stay right where you are."

"I don't understand."

"Look to the right of you."

Sara looked to her right and saw Michael across the street. He waved at her.

"Hi."

Sara smiled. "Hi," she said into her phone.

Michael smiled back and flipped his cell phone shut. Sara did the same. She watched as he somewhat impatiently waited for the light to change so he could cross the street. When it did, he jogged up to her.

Michael was grinning when he came up to her. "Hey."

Sara slightly giggled. "Hey yourself."

"How are you?"

"I'm good, you?"

"I'm good now," he said with a smile. Michael then bit his bottom lip. "Hey, I'm sorry I didn't call you earlier. There were some things I had to take care of this morning."

"Oh, it's okay. I figured you were busy."

"Okay. So how about that cup of coffee now?" Michael asked. "Unless if you're busy."

Sara shook her head. "I have the day off, so I'm not busy." She paused. "But I'm not in the mood for coffee. I just had some with my stepmother awhile ago."

"Oh," Michael said with a little disappointment.

Sara smiled at him. "But you could treat me to a cinnamon bun at the bakery just down the street."

Michael brightened up. "All right."

The light changed and the two began to cross the street together.

"So," Sara began, "I'm guessing you have the day off too?"

"Yeah," Michael said, "surprisingly my normally uptight boss gave a few of us the day off today."

Sara chuckled. "Maybe because of the party."

"Probably," he answered. He smiled down at her. "So how are your feet?"

Sara laughed. "They're a little sore, but I think I'll live."

Michael chuckled and replied with a "Good."

"Those shoes have a nice new home in a shoebox at the back of my closet."

Michael laughed as he opened the door and held it open for Sara to walk through.

"Thank you," Sara said with a smile.

"You're welcome."

Michael walked up to the counter and ordered two cinnamon buns for him and Sara. They then sat down at a round table. He finally noticed the sweater she was wearing.

"You went to Northwestern?" He asked, pointing.

Sara looked down then back up. "Yeah."

"I went to Loyola."

"Really? When did you graduate?"

"1995."

"I graduated just two years after you."

"Really? Michael smiled and leaned back in his chair. "Maybe we met before, drunk, out at a bar somewhere."

Sara laughed. "I would have remembered."

"That a compliment?" He asked with a grin.

Sara laughed again and shook her head. "Not really."

Michael laughed with her. The two of them finished off their cinnamon buns, softly chit-chatting and laughing all the while. They left the bakery, still in conversation.

"Your role model's Gandhi?" Michael asked her.

Sara nodded. "Do you know his quote?"

"'Be the change you want to see in the world'?"

Sara smiled. "Yeah, that one. I've lived by that code ever since college."

"It's a good thing to follow."

Sara nodded. "That's why one day I want to go to India and do some work there. You know, give back to his country as a way of thanks for the good advice."

Michael smiled. "Sounds like a good goal to reach for."

"What about you? Do you have any role models? Any dreams or goals?" Sara asked as they walked into the Chicago city park.

"I did have a role model," Michael replied looking down at the ground. "My older brother."

Sara looked at him, wondering why he suddenly turned melancholy.

"My mom died when I was little, and my dad...well, he left before I was even born." Michael raised his head back up and looked forward, letting out a small sigh.

"I didn't have any aunts or uncles so my brother ended up raising me. He looked after me and made sure I stayed on the straight and narrow path of life..."

"But?" Sara asked.

Michael breathed in deeply. "But there was no one to keep 'him' on the straight and narrow growing up. He got into trouble a lot. He still does actually." He shook his head. "Sometimes I feel like the older brother nowadays. So I made it my goal not to end up like him."

Sara stared at him hard before reacting to his story. "I guess we all have our different kinds of role models." She looked ahead of them and saw a hot dog vendor. She tugged on Michael's arm. "How about a hot dog for lunch? I'll treat you this time," she said with a smile, trying to cheer him up.

Michael returned her smile. "Okay."

He let her drag him up to the vendor and they got their hot dogs. The two of them sat on a nearby park bench and began to eat their hot dogs in silence.

Sara looked up from her hot dog. "Michael?"

Michael chewed the piece he had in his mouth and swallowed. "Yes?"

"Your brother can't be that bad."

Michael didn't respond and he took another bite out of his hot dog.

Sara looked down at her hands. "I mean, he took care of you when there was no one else. And he made you the man you are today, right? He can't be that bad."

"Depends on what kind of man people perceive me to be."

"Well, I think you turned out to be quite a good man," Sara said looking up at him.

Michael looked down at her and she turned away, slightly blushing. He smiled.

"Thank you."

Sara looked back up at him and smiled. Then suddenly a beeping sound came from her purse. She reached into it and pulled out her pager. It was the hospital. She looked back at Michael.

"I'm sorry. It looks like I have to go to work after all."

Michael shook his head. "You don't have to apologize."

The two of them stood up from the bench and threw away their trash.

"Thanks for the hot dog," Michael said.

"Thank you for the cinnamon bun," Sara replied back.

They stood facing each other, smiling.

"I had fun getting to know you and hanging out with you today, Michael."

"So did I."

Sara smiled and nodded. "Well, I should be going now."

Michael nodded back. He was a little sad that she was leaving. Sara began to walk away. He watched her retreating form for a bit.

"Sara!"

She turned around.

"We should do this again sometime. You know, hang out," He said with a smile.

Sara smiled back. "Yeah, we should. Bye Michael." She waved.

Michael waved back. "Bye," he said softly. He turned and began walking in the opposite direction. He looked behind him in time to see Sara glance at him just as she turned out of the park. He smiled to himself and continued walking.


	3. Lunch Break

A/N: So here's the next chapter. I'm sorry it took so long to get up. A few weeks ago I wrote up the third chapter and I didn't like how it turned out. Plus it was REALLY long. Too long. And I didn't like it. So I decided to rewrite it and change it completely. But then I had no idea what to write so I began brainstorming. And that took even longer. Again, sorry for the long wait. I hope you're still reading and that you enjoy this chapter. I'll try to get the next chapter up real soon to make up for everything. 

I also kinda avoided fic sites the past few weeks, so I need to catch up on my reading. Anyone got any recommendations? 

Well anyway, enjoy!

* * *

"Hey Michael!"

Michael looked up as he walked through the cleanly decorated hallways of his firm, Middleton, Maxwell & Schaum. He saw the goofy grin of his friend and co-worker, Andrew. Andrew walked up to his friend and slapped him on the back in greeting.

"Hey Andrew."

"Hey man, sorry about ditching you that night at the party," Andrew said sheepishly.

"It's okay," Michael said as he filed past project papers and blueprints.

"If it makes ya feel better, the chick I ditched you for was just a pretty face with nothing much behind it." Michael chuckled and Andrew went on. "I mean, she was dull as a... well, you know, dull."

"Nice to see you're making full use of your metaphors and similes, Andrew," a feminine and sarcastic voice spoke up.

Both Michael and Andrew looked up to see their fellow co-worker and friend, Lily, standing with her hands on her hips.

"Morning guys," she said with a smile.

"Morning Lily," Michael said while Andrew mumbled something that sounded like "Good morning."

"So," Lily said as she looked through paperwork, "how did you guys spend our ever so rare day off yesterday?"

"Spent the whole day with my ass in bed. Best sleep I've gotten in a long time!" Andrew said with a grin.

Lily rolled her eyes and made a face that said "Typical." She turned to Michael. "What about you?"

Michael immediately thought of Sara and the time he spent with her. A smile formed on his face.

"He's smiling!" Andrew smirked. "Did you get laid?"

Michael laughed and then shook his head. Lily stared at him for a bit, and then her lips curled into a grin. "But you met someone, didn't you?"

His smile only grew.

Andrew slipped his arm around Michael's shoulders with a grin on his face. "Tell us about her, Michael! Is she hot?"

"All right, all right," a voice spoke up. All three of them looked to see their boss walk into the room. "Everyone have a seat. We got a new project on our hands." He tossed a file in front of Michael.

Michael read the label on the tab aloud, "Fox River State Penitentiary..." He looked up at his boss with a questioning look. "The prison?"

His boss nodded and adjusted the glasses on his face. "We've been subcontracted to help retrofit the place. All the details are in that file and the blueprints of the prison should be arriving at your offices soon, so get to it." Everyone nodded. "And Scofield..."

Michael looked up.

"You're in charge, so do your best."

Michael nodded. "Yes sir, I will."

And with that their boss walked out of the room. Andrew whistled once he left. "Only been here a year and you've already headin' a project."

"That's because he actually gets things done, Andrew," Lily teased.

"Yeah, whatever," Andrew said, sticking his tongue at her. She only smirked back at him. "So we all still up for lunch later, right?

Lily nodded. "What about you Michael?"

Michael didn't respond. He was busy looking through the file in front of him. He sifted through various photographs of the prison. A sudden chill ran down his spine and he felt goose bumps form along his arms.

"Michael?"

Michael finally looked up at the concerned faces of his friends.

"You up for lunch later?" Andrew asked again.

"Yeah," Michael replied, looking back down at the file. For some reason, he shivered.

---

"All right, just take two of the pills on the prescription once every day for the next two weeks and you should be just fine," Sara said as she handed a balding man a slip of paper.

He took the paper from her and looked at it. "Thank you, Dr. Tancredi."

Sara smiled. "You're welcome. If there are any problems, don't hesitate to call my office."

The man nodded and left the room. Sara let out a tired sigh and pulled a file onto her lap, scribbling a few notes here and there. There was a knock at the door and she looked up to see her fellow doctor and friend standing in the doorway.

"Hey Lindsey," Sara said.

"You ready for our lunch break?" Lindsey asked.

Sara nodded. "Just let me finish this and we'll go."

---

"Here you go," the waitress said as she set three plates of food down on the table.

"Thank you," Michael said while Andrew instantly dived into his food.

The waitress smiled at Michael and walked away. Lily frowned at Andrew shoving his food down his throat. "Why can't you be more like Michael and be polite?"

Andrew grinned. "The world can only handle one Michael Scofield."

Michael chuckled and Lily rolled her eyes, but the threesome continued to eat their lunches.

"I gotta take a leak," Andrew stated after downing his coke.

Lily rolled her eyes yet again. "Announce it to the whole world, why don't you?"

Michael held back another chuckle as he watched Lily watch Andrew head to the bathroom. "He still has no idea how you really feel about him, does he?"

Lily shook her head and let out a frustrated sigh. She began to stab at her salad. "He's too much of an ass to realize that I have feelings for him."

Michael couldn't hold back his chuckle any longer. He watched his friend massacre her lunch and was glad that he wasn't a leaf of lettuce. He liked Lily; she reminded him of Veronica a little bit, only blonde.

"Why don't you, oh I don't know, tell him?" Michael suggested.

"It's not that simple, Michael," Lily replied.

"What's so hard about saying 'I love you'?"

Lily looked up from her torn up salad and looked at him incredulously. "You've never been in love with anyone before, have you?"

Michael shrugged. "I guess not really." He stuck a French fry in his mouth and suddenly thought about Sara.

"Well what about the girl you met?" Lily asked with a smirk.

"I just met her, at the party. It's kind of too soon to say anything." Things were silent between the two of them for a bit but then Michael smiled and popped another French fry in his mouth. "I still think you should just tell him."

Lily shook her head. "Women aren't supposed to reveal their feelings first. It's an unwritten law."

Michael laughed. "Well then, break the law."

Lily looked at him and shook her head, smiling. "Ain't gonna happen." Michael chuckled and the two of them munched on their lunch. "So tell me about this girl that you met at the party."

Michael slightly blushed, making Lily smile. "Wow, she must be something if only me asking about you is causing you to blush!"

Michael only blushed harder.

---

"So how did your father's party go?" Lindsey asked her friend, making small talk as they drove down the city streets of Chicago.

Sara smiled as they drove through an intersection. "It went well."

"Really?" Lindsey was surprised. Normally Sara hated her father's parties. She glanced at the red head and saw her smiling. "What's with the smile?"

"It's nothing."

"You don't just smile about 'nothing.' Come on," Lindsey urged, "tell me."

Sara's smile only grew as she thought about Michael. Lindsey glanced at her friend again when she was stopped at a red light. Then she grinned.

"You met a guy!"

Sara's smile grew even bigger. She nodded. "Yeah."

"Well, don't just sit there! What's he like?" Lindsey asked excitedly.

Sara chuckled. "The light's green."

Lindsey faced forward again. "What? Oh." She took her foot off the brake pedal and stepped on the gas. "Well?"

"What do you want to know?"

"I don't know. Is he tall, dark, and handsome?" Lindsey asked as she pulled into the parking lot of a restaurant.

Sara chuckled again. "Actually, he is," she replied, unbuckling her seat belt when Lindsey parked her car. "Come on, let's hurry and grab a table. I'm starving!" She hurried out of the car.

Lindsey hurried after her. "Come on Sara! You have to give me a bit more than that!"

Sara laughed and looked back at her friend's curiosity. Not paying attention, she bumped right into someone.

"Oof!"

"Oh! I'm sorry!" Sara exclaimed.

Andrew grinned. "Nah, it's okay. It's not everyday that I bump into pretty girls."

"Sara?"

The doctor looked in the direction of the voice. She blinked. "Michael?"

Michael's face brightened at the sight of her. "Hey! What are you doing here?" he asked with a smile forming on his face.

Sara smiled back. "I'm on my lunch break, you?"

"The same."

Their friends just looked on dumbly, feeling a bit awkward. Michael noticed this.

"Don't just stand there, come sit and join us," he said with a warm smile.

"Okay," Sara said smiling. She motioned for Lindsey to join them and pull up a chair at their table.

"Guys, this is Sara," Michael introduced her to his friends. "Sara, these are my friends, Andrew and Lily."

"Hi, nice to meet you," Sara said, shaking their hands. "This is my friend, Lindsey," Sara said, not forgetting to introduce her friend as well. She shook Andrew and Lily's hands as well.

"So you two know each other?" Andrew asked.

Michael and Sara glanced at each other. Sara was the one to answer him. "Well, we only just met too, at my father's charity dinner."

Lily blinked in amazement. "Your father? Wait, you mean to tell me you're the governor's daughter?"

Sara bit her bottom lip. "Um, yeah," she replied unenthusiastically.

Sensing her discomfort, Michael spoke up. "You two must be hungry. Let me get the waitress over here to get you some food."

Sara thanked him as he called the waitress over to their table. Lindsey ordered a salad while Sara ordered a sandwich.

"So were the two of you at the party as well?" Lindsey asked both Andrew and Lily. They nodded.

"Oh, so you guys work together?" Sara asked.

"Yup," Andrew said, finishing off his food.

Sara smiled and turned to Lindsey. "They designed and built those new offices for my father."

"That's nice. So you guys are like architects?" Lindsey asked.

"Kind of, we're engineers," Lily replied.

"Really?"

"Yup," Andrew said, grinning. "We got a new project now. And Michael's the head of it."

Sara turned to Michael. "Congrats Michael!"

"Thanks Sara," Michael said. The waitress came back with the girls' orders, but they went on with their conversation.

"You're welcome, Michael."

Lily smiled at them. She obviously had put together that Sara was the 'girl' that Michael met. "So what do you two do?" she asked Sara and Lindsey before taking a sip of her drink.

"We work down at the hospital as doctors," Lindsey replied.

"Oh yeah, you told me that you were just finishing up your residency, right?" Michael asked Sara.

Sara nodded as she chewed a piece of her sandwich and swallowed. "That's right."

Andrew grinned. "Doctors, eh? So if someone here were to start choking, you could do CPR on them, right?"

Sara chuckled. "You don't have to be a doctor to perform CPR." She took a sip of her drink. "And if someone were to choke, you would do the Heimlich maneuver."

Lily and Lindsey giggled while Michael laughed quietly to himself. Andrew began to turn red in embarrassment.

"Don't worry," Sara said, smiling, "a lot of people actually mix the two up all the time."

Andrew chuckled. "Good to hear I'm not the only one."

"It's also good that you didn't become a doctor," Michael pointed out.

"Hey! I could have been a doctor if I wanted too! I'm actually much smarter than I look," Andrew said in his defense.

"Despite half the things that come out of your mouth," Lily said with a smirk.

Everyone just laughed.

"Hey," Andrew spoke up once the laughter subsided, "I'm having a barbeque thing at my place this weekend. You two want to come?"

"Sorry, I can't. I'm supposed to visit my folks this Saturday," Lindsey said.

"What about you, Sara?" Lily asked.

"Yeah," Andrew said with a mischievous grin on his face. He wasn't as thick headed as most people thought him to be. He had picked up on the attraction between Michael and Sara a long time ago. "I'm sure _Michael_ would _love_ to have you there." Michael immediately shot a look at his friend.

Sara smiled. "Sure, I don't have any plans this weekend."

"Great!"

Lily looked down at her watch. "Looks like we should get going before 'the beast' gets on our case."

"The beast?" Sara asked with a baffled look on her face.

"It's what we call our boss," Michael said.

"Yeah. He may be short and wears glasses, but man he is scary!" Andrew exclaimed.

Sara and Lindsey laughed. "We should probably get going too. We have our own 'beast' as well."

They all paid off their meals and headed out of the restaurant.

"Well, it was nice meeting you guys," Sara said.

"Yes, it was," Lily said with a polite smile.

"We'll see ya this weekend," Andrew said.

Lindsey and Sara waved goodbye and turned to walk away. Sara looked over her shoulder at Michael and flashed him a smile. Michael smiled back and waved. Both Andrew and Lily watched with grins on their faces.

"Awww, look Lily! Our little boy's all grown up and falling in love!" Andrew said, puckering his lips and making kissy faces. Lily just giggled.

Michael shot them both steely looks. "Enough you guys."

"There's no need to get all defensive Michael," Lily said. "Sara's nice. I like her."

"Yeah," Andrew said, agreeing with her. "And her friend's not bad looking either."

Lily rolled her eyes. "We should really get back to the firm now guys."

They began walking to Michael's car. Then Andrew opened his mouth once more.

"See? I told ya you would get lucky if you went to the party, didn't I?" he asked Michael with a smirk.

Michael just chuckled.


	4. Barbecue Fun

A/N: Okay here's the next chapter. It was actually intended to be longer but I had to split it up because it was getting too long for my tastes. Enjoy! Thanks go to Jennifer for the beta read!

* * *

"Hey Sara?"

Sara looked up from her desk to see Lindsey in front of her. "Yes?"

"Did Mr. Johnson's test results come in yet?"

"Um, yes." Sara set down her pen and looked over her cluttered desk for the papers. "Here it is," she said, picking it up and handing it to Lindsey.

"Thanks."

"So you're leaving tonight for New York?" Sara asked, wanting to take a short break from paperwork.

"Yeah. It's been awhile since I last saw my parents," she answered with a smile.

"I still wish you could come with me to the barbeque tomorrow though."

Lindsey's smile turned into a sly grin. She smugly crossed her arms, tucking the papers at her side. "I'm sure you'll have loads of fun without me."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sara asked.

"Well, Michael's going to be there, isn't he?"

Sara blushed slightly. "Yes, but I don't see what that has to do with anything."

"Oh please Sara!" Lindsey grinned. "It's kind of obvious that Michael is your 'tall, dark, and handsome.' Even a three year old could see that!"

Sara blushed harder and turned back to her paperwork to hide it. But she was smiling. Lindsey chuckled at her friend's shyness.

"You're turning as red as your hair is!" she said with a laugh.

Sara faced her friend with an embarrassed smile on her face. "Shouldn't you give Mr. Johnson his test results now?"

Lindsey chuckled again. "All right, I'll leave you alone for now." She began to walk out of the room but then turned her head over her shoulder. "But when I get back from New York, you're in for a whole lot of pestering from me!"

"Yeah, yeah, just go!" Sara said with a laugh.

---

"Hey Mike?"

Michael looked up from the blueprints he was working on to see Andrew in his office doorway. "Yes?"

"I was wondering if you could come early tomorrow to help me set up for the barbeque."

"Sure."

Andrew's face brightened like a little kid's does. "Great!" Michael smiled at his friend. Andrew craned his neck to see the work on Michael's desk. "You working on the Fox River project?"

"Yeah, I'm drawing out the new pipe system for the place," Michael said looking down at the prints.

Andrew walked over to his desk and glanced at his work. "Looks good." His eyes scanned over the blueprints a bit before looking at Michael once again. "So, you excited?"

"About the project?"

"No, about the barbeque."

"Any special reason why I should be?" Michael asked as he rolled up the blueprints. He was going to call it a night for now.

"Well, Sara's going to be there..." Andrew said in a playful voice and with a smirk on his face.

Michael smiled as he slipped the prints into its tube, but he stayed quiet.

"I mean, it's kinda obvious that you're into her." Michael remained silent so Andrew continued talking. "And she seems to like you back. You should ask her out."

Michael looked at his friend. "You think so?"

"Yeah! Go for it man!" he encouraged.

Michael smiled. "I think I will then."

Andrew grinned. "Hey maybe at the barbeque you can pretend to choke on a piece of meat and Sara can perform CPR on ya."

Michael chuckled. "It's the Heimlich Maneuver, Andrew."

Andrew's face deadpanned. "Damn it! I mixed the two up again, didn't I?"

Michael just laughed.

---

Sara watched her eggs sizzle in the frying pan on her stove the next morning. She looked out her kitchen window as she cooked her breakfast. It was surprisingly sunny for being fall in Chicago. She smiled. She got a feeling that today would be a wonderful day.

Her cell phone began to ring just as she turned off the stove. Sara quickly used her spatula to scoop her cooked eggs onto a plate before rushing off to answer her phone. The caller ID said 'Rose.'

"Hey sis," Sara said into her cell cheerfully, "what's up?"

"Hey Sara, you sound like you're in a good mood," her older sister spoke over the phone.

"It's a beautiful day outside. I can't really help it," Sara said smiling. She sat down at her table to eat her breakfast.

"It sure is a nice morning," Rose said, agreeing. She paused before speaking again. "Listen, do you remember that festival thing Bill and I were going to go to?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"I need a favor."

Sara chewed the eggs in her mouth before speaking again. "Again, I ask what?"

"Can you baby-sit Angela and Connor for me?"

"Sure! When?" She began to drink her orange juice.

"Today."

Sara nearly choked on her OJ. "Today?" she gulped out.

"Please Sara!" Rose pleaded. "I know it is very last minute but my babysitter cancelled on me this morning. You don't have anything important to do today, do you?"

"Not really," Sara replied tentatively.

"Then will you do it?"

Sara sighed. "All right." She smiled into the phone. "You know I love Angie and Connor to bits. I can't say no."

"Thank you Sara!" Rose exclaimed with joy over the phone. "Thank you so much! We'll be by later around 1 p.m. to drop them off."

"Okay."

"Bye sis, and thanks again!"

"Bye Rose."

Click. Sara flipped her phone shut and stared down at her table for a few minutes. She sighed and then flipped open her cell phone once again. She had to call Michael. She selected his number from in her contacts and waited as the phone began to ring.

---

"Andrew, this place is a pig sty! When was the last time you cleaned?" Michael asked with a slight face of disgust.

"When my parents moved to Mexico," Andrew said picking up an empty pizza box from a couple nights ago.

"That was over a month ago!"

Andrew shrugged. "So? Not everyone's a neat freak like you, man."

Michael just shook his head as he broke the vacuum out of the closet. He was kind of surprised that Andrew even had a vacuum. As he struggled with the tangled cord, his cell phone began to ring from where he left it on Andrew's coffee table. He tried to go answer it but got caught up in the cord and fell to the floor, so Andrew answered it for him.

"Hello?" He paused. "Oh, hey Sara!"

Michael looked up at the mention of Sara's name. He tried even harder to free himself from the vacuum's cord, but it was a losing battle.

"Oh Michael? He's a bit tied up at the moment. What's up?" Pause. "You have to baby-sit? So you can't come to my barbecue today?" Another pause. "Why don't you just bring them with you?" Pause. "Yeah, sure it's okay! The more, the merrier!" Andrew said grinning. "All right, I'll see you later then. I'll tell Michael you said 'hi!' Bye Sara!"

He turned to Michael who finally freed himself from the vacuum's clutches. "Sara says 'hi.'"

"Why did you hang up?" Michael asked. He was a little annoyed that he didn't get to talk to Sara himself.

"Relax Michael, you'll see her later. She's bringing her niece and nephew with her. So you better behave yourself around her. You don't want to set a bad example for the little kiddies!" Andrew joked.

"Ha, ha Andrew! Hey, maybe you can teach them CPR!" Michael said sarcastically.

Andrew punched his friend lightly in the arm. "Just get back to cleaning."

---

"Where are we going Auntie Sara?" little six year old Angie asked from the back seat of Sara's car.

"We're going to a barbecue."

"What's a bar-bee-coo?" Angie's twin brother Connor asked.

"Oh! Is that what we went to at Granddad's house on the day with the fireworks in the summer?" Angie asked.

Sara smiled. "Yup, that's it."

"Will there be hot dogs?" Connor asked.

"Probably."

"Yay!"

"Auntie Sara, are we still gonna go to the park later though?" Angie asked. "I want to swing on the swings!"

"Sure, we'll go to the park later," Sara said as she turned right into a neighborhood. "I think we're here!" She parked her car along the sidewalk and helped the twins get out of their car seats. "Okay, come on you two!"

The three of them walked up Andrew's front porch steps. Sara held their little hands in hers.

"Can I push the button?" Connor asked.

"Go right ahead, Connor," Sara said.

Connor reached up with his little finger and rang the doorbell with a push of a button. Shortly after that the door swung open revealing those beautiful blue green eyes that seem to mesmerize Sara every time she looked into them.

Michael smiled at the sight of her. "Sara! You made it!"

Sara smiled shyly. "Yeah."

The two of them stood staring and smiling at each other for a bit before Connor tugged on Sara's hand, snapping the couple out of their daze. Michael chuckled and then stepped out of the doorway. "I'm sorry, come in! Come in!"

Sara laughed lightly and gently pushed Connor and Angie inside. "Come on."

"So these must be your niece and nephew," Michael said looking down at the twins.

Sara nodded. "This is Connor and this is Angie. Say 'hi' to Michael you guys."

Angie turned her head upwards to look up at Michael. "You're really tall! It's scary!"

"Angie!" Sara said in an admonishing tone.

Michael just chuckled though. "I'm sorry." He then got down on one knee in front of the little girl to decrease his 'scary' height. "Is this better?"

Angie giggled and nodded. "Yup!" Sara couldn't help but smile at the scene.

"Sara!" The red head turned to see Lily walk up to them. "You're here!"

Sara smiled at her. "Hi Lily."

Lily then knelt down in front of Connor. "And who's this little guy?"

Connor smiled shyly. "Hi, I'm Connor. You're really pretty. What's your name?"

Lily smiled back at him. "Oh, you're so cute! My name is Lily. Are you hungry Connor?"

Connor nodded. "Do you have hot dogs?"

"Uh huh," Lily said, "Come on!" She took little Connor's hand and they began walking out to the backyard where Andrew was cooking.

Sara chuckled lightly. "Only six years old and he already knows how to smooth talk his way into a woman's heart."

Michael laughed with her and rose up from his knees. "Come on, let's go eat."

They walked out to the backyard where everybody was eating, chatting, and just enjoying themselves. The smells coming from the grill overwhelmed little Angie and her tummy rumbled.

"I'm hungry Auntie Sara," she said.

Sara saw Connor munching away on a hot dog next to Lily. "Do you want a hot dog?"

Angie shook here head and her pigtails swung in the air.

"How about a cheeseburger then?" Michael suggested to the little girl.

She smiled and nodded. "Okay."

"What about you Sara?" Michael asked looking to her.

"I'll have a cheeseburger too."

"Okay," Michael said. He turned to Andrew at the grill and yelled. "Andrew! Two cheeseburgers for the ladies!"

"Coming right up!" He yelled back.

Michael faced Sara and Angie again and smiled. "The condiments are right over there." He pointed to a table. "I'll go grab the buns and patties for you two once Andrew's done."

Sara smiled at him. "Thank you Michael." She took a hold of Angie's hand. "Come on Angie. Go pick out the things you want on your burger."

Angie climbed into one of the white plastic chairs at the table and pointed out what she wanted on her cheeseburger. Michael soon came up to the table with their burgers in hand.

"Here you go ladies!"

"Thank you Michael," Sara said again.

"Thank you!" Angie said as well.

Michael smiled at both of them but then turned suddenly at the sound of Andrew yelling. A lot of smoke was coming from the grill.

"Michael! Get your butt over here and help me!" He yelled as he tried to wave the smoke away.

Michael quickly rushed over to help his friend and the two tried frantically to fix the smoke problem, but the grill ended up erupting in flames.

"Wow! Fire!" Connor exclaimed in amazement.

"Shouldn't we do something?" Sara asked looking on, worried.

"Nah, it's okay. Michael got it," Lily said as Michael got a nearby fire extinguisher and put out the fire. "See? He figured that Andrew would end up burning something so he came prepared."

Sara giggled as both Andrew and Michael turned sheepishly to the crowd of people who had stopped whatever they were doing to watch the spectacle.

"Uh, everything is fine. You can go back to enjoying yourselves," Andrew said to everyone. There was some laughter from the crowd and the barbecue went on.

After Connor and Angie finished eating, they ran off to play with the other kids there and the dog that belonged to them. Sara watched them run around from a seat at a table.

"So you having a good time, Sara?" Andrew asked.

"Yes, thank you for inviting me," Sara said. "You're house is really lovely."

"Thanks," Andrew said proudly.

"It's actually his parents' house," Lily remarked.

"Hey! No it's not! They transferred full ownership to me when they moved to Mexico," Andrew defended.

"Mexico?" Sara was curious.

"Yeah, his parents live in Mexico. Baja to be exact," Michael explained.

"They went on a vacation there and loved it so much that they decided to live there forever," Andrew said.

"So you live in this big house by yourself?" Sara asked. Andrew nodded. "You should settle down then and find yourself a wife."

Andrew laughed. "You proposin' to me Sara?" Both Michael and Lily shot him a look.

Sara just laughed. "No."

"Hey Andrew," Lily began, "looks like the punch bowl could use more ice. Why don't you come help me get some more?"

"All right."

They went inside the house together and Lily opened the freezer with fury. "What the hell is up with your flirtation with Sara?"

"Whoa! Relax Lily! I'm just messing with Michael." He grinned. "It's not everyday he develops a crush on a girl that we get to tease him about."

Lily's fury calmed a bit. "So, you're not interested in her?"

"No. Why are you asking me this?" Andrew asked, a bit confused by her outburst.

"No reason," she said quickly and turned back to the freezer. "Just looking out for Michael I guess," she added to hide her own jealousy.

Andrew stared at her, wondering about her strange behavior. He then turned to look out the window to the backyard. He saw Michael and Sara laughing and smiling together. "They make a cute couple, don't you think?"

"Yeah," Lily agreed.

"I hope I find a girl that would like me as much as I will like her." Andrew said sighing.

Lily grabbed the ice from the freezer. "You just need to look harder."

---

"Wait, so Lily's in love with Andrew?" Sara asked for clarification. Michael nodded. "How does Andrew feel about her?"

"Not sure," Michael said, sipping his drink.

"You never asked him?"

Michael shook his head. "I guess I didn't want things to get awkward between him and Lily in case he didn't feel the same way."

"Oh." Sara then smiled. "That was kind of sweet of you."

Michael flushed a little bit. "Thanks."

"We should try and get them together."

"Play matchmaker?" Michael laughed slightly. "I think your stepmother's rubbing off on you."

Sara laughed with him. "Perhaps."

"It's gonna be a challenge though. Andrew can be dense at times and Lily's pretty stubborn when it comes to her feelings."

Sara grinned at him. "I like challenges."

Michael grinned back at her. "Good. So do I."

"Auntie Sara!"

They both looked up to see Angie and Connor run up to them with smiles on their faces. The kids with the dog were now leaving.

"Did you see us playing with the dog?" Angie asked excitedly.

Sara smiled at the twins. "Yes, I did."

"Do you think Mommy and Daddy will buy us a dog if we ask?" Connor asked her opinion.

"Maybe if you're good and ask nicely."

The twins cheered. Little Angie then jumped up and down in excitement. "Can we go to the park now?"

"Oh, you want to go now?"

Angie nodded. "I still wanna swing on the swings!"

"Okay then." Sara looked to Michael. "Sorry."

Michael shook his head. "No, it's okay."

Sara gave him a small smile and the two stood up just as Andrew and Lily came back.

"Oh, are you leaving Sara?" Lily asked.

"Yeah, I promised the twins that I would take them to the park today."

"Well, I hope you had a good time here," Andrew said.

"Yes we did," Sara said. She then looked down at the twins. "Didn't we guys?"

The twins nodded and chirped "Yup."

"What do you say?" Sara asked the two six year olds.

"Thank you!" Angie and Connor said in unison.

Andrew smiled at them. "You're all very welcome."

"Okay then. Bye everyone!" Sara said. She cast one more smile in Michael's direction before walking away with the twins.

Michael let out a disappointed sigh. He had not wanted Sara to leave just yet. Andrew noticed this.

"Hey Michael, why don't you go after her?"

"What?"

"You know, tag along with them to the park."

Michael shook his head. "I just can't intrude in on them like that."

"Why not? I'm sure Sara wouldn't mind," Andrew said with a grin.

"You should do it, Michael," Lily chimed in. "It will give you a chance to show Sara how great you are with kids. Girls like that in guys."

Michael thought about it for a minute. He smiled. "Okay then."

"At a boy Mikey! Go get her!" Andrew cheered his friend on and slapped him on the back.

Michael smiled at his friends and then jogged through the house and out the front door. "Sara!" He called after her.

She turned around. "Michael? What is it?"

Michael slowed to a halt in front of her. "Well, I was wondering if maybe I could tag along with you guys to the park."

Sara smiled. She then looked down at the twins. "Well, if it's all right with them. What do you two say? Do you want Michael to come with us to the park?"

Connor nodded and Angie jumped up and down in excitement. "Yeah! He can push me on the swings!" she said happily.

Michael smiled. Sara looked back up at him and smiled too. "All right then. Let's go!"

They all got into Sara's car, each with a feeling of joy and excitement for the fun they were going to have at the park.


	5. Playdate

**Author's Notes: **Hello there! Here's the next chapter. Those of you that read my other fic, 'Crossing A Line' might feel a bit of nostalgia with this one because there's another swing set scene. Enjoy!

Thank you Jennifer for the beta read!

* * *

"I'll race you to the swings Angie!" Connor said to his twin with a toothy grin.

"Okay!"

"On your mark, get set, Go!" Connor yelled and the two of them sped off towards the swings, kicking up sand behind them.

"Hey, take it easy you two!" Sara called out after them. She smiled and then turned to Michael as they walked after the twins towards the swing set. "So what made you decide to come with us to the park?" she asked him.

"Well," Michael began, smiling, "uh, I figured Andrew would probably end up burning down the house even with the fire extinguisher." He chuckled. "Didn't want to be around if it happened." Sara laughed. Michael then smiled and looked down at his feet. "And I also wanted to spend some more time with you."

He looked up as he said the last part, surprising Sara a little with his gaze. She then smiled and her cheeks began to flush with pink. Michael thought he had never seen a more beautiful smile than hers.

"Michael! Michael! Michael!" Angie called out as she sat in the middle swing set seat. Connor sat in the one to her left. "You said you would push me on the swings, remember?"

"Angie, what's the magic word?" Sara asked.

"Please!"

"All right," Michael said, grinning. He jogged up to Angie and gently pulled back the chains of the swing.

"I want to go really high, okay?" Angie asked with innocent eyes.

"Okay," Michael said and gave her a soft push.

Sara watched them a little bit and then turned to Connor. "What about you Connor? Do you need a push?"

Connor shook his head. He began to pump his legs. "I can do it myself. I'm a big boy!" he said proudly.

Sara smiled. "Okay then."

Angie laughed happily as she swung in the air.

"Hey Angie, help me out here," Michael said, giving her another push. "Kick your legs in and out so you can go as high as your brother."

"Okay!" She did as Michael suggested and soon enough she began to go higher than Connor was going. "I'm going really high, Michael!" she cried out with glee.

Michael laughed. "You sure are!"

"I think I can do it by myself now! Thanks Michael!" Angie shouted with confidence.

"Okay then." He stepped away and towards the third empty swing seat. He took a hold of the chains and motioned for Sara to come sit in it. "Come on Sara," Michael said with a smile, "I'll give you a push."

Sara laughed, smiled, and shook her head. "No, that's okay Michael."

Michael insisted. "Come on Sara."

"Yeah Auntie Sara! It's fun!" Connor chimed in.

"Michael's good at pushing, Auntie Sara," Angie said, joining the 'get Sara to swing' bandwagon.

Sara laughed again. "Fine." She walked over and sat down in the seat. Taking the chains at her sides in her hands, she looked up at Michael behind her.

He smiled at her. "I'll be gentle."

Sara smiled back and blushed. She felt a little ridiculous, swinging on a swing with a couple of little kids and a man pushing her from behind, but that kind of embarrassment died when she felt Michael's hands on her back. His hands lingered on her back longer than they needed to when he pushed her and it made the skin underneath her shirt heat up with each touch. Sara looked over her shoulder and saw Michael grinning at her.

"I'm going too high!" Angie cried out. "How do I stop?"

"Like this Angie!" Connor yelled to his sister. He proceeded to leap from the swing.

Sara's eyes widened and she planted her feet into the sand to stop swinging. Connor landed in the sandbox gracefully on his two feet as Sara ran up to him.

"That's really scary! I don't want to do that!" Angie cried out.

"Don't worry, I got ya!" Michael said as he grabbed a hold of the metal chains and slowed her swing to a stop.

"Connor, are you okay?" Sara frantically asked as she knelt down and gripped his shoulders.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Auntie Sara," he replied casually, like it wasn't a big deal.

Sara raised her voice. "Do you know how dangerous that was?" Her voice then softened. "You scared me."

"I'm sorry Auntie Sara," Connor said. He then gave his aunt a hug. "I won't do it again."

"Okay," Sara said softly, brushing a piece of his shaggy hair from his face. "I'm just glad that you're all right."

Angie ran up to them. "Is Connor okay? Is he in trouble? Do we have to leave the park now?" She asked one question after another.

"Your brother's fine, and no, he's not in trouble. And we can stay a bit longer if you want to," Sara replied.

"Yay!" The six year old cheered. She grabbed her twin brother's hand. "Let's go slide down the slide Connor!" The pair took off running again.

Michael held out a hand in front of Sara and helped her up from her kneeling position. She brushed the sand off her knees.

"Thanks," she said to Michael.

"You're welcome," he said with a smile. He watched Angie and Connor run across the playground toward the slide. "I have to say, that jump Connor made was pretty cool. I tried the same thing when I was his age and ended up spraining my ankle."

"That's exactly why I don't want him and Angie doing things like that. And I'm sure their mother wouldn't like it either," Sara said, keeping a close eye on the twins.

"Well, if he had gotten hurt, at least we have a doctor around. Besides, it's a part of growing up to skin their knee once in awhile."

Sara turned to face Michael and took a good look at him. She smiled. "I guess you're right."

Angie and Connor reached the bottom of the slide and they laughed and giggled their way back to Sara and Michael.

"Auntie Sara! Michael! Did you see us go down the slide?" Angie asked with big doe like eyes.

Sara smiled at her niece. "We sure did."

"Angie!" Connor called out, "Let's go on the monkey bars!" He grabbed his sister's hand and ran off to the metal bars.

"But I don't like the monkey bars Connor!"

"That's because you never tried it! You gotta try it! It's fun!" And with that, Connor was swinging away across the bars.

Angie hesitantly climbed the bar ladder and watched her brother monkey his way over to the other side. She reached up and grabbed the first bar.

"You can do it Angie!" Connor cheered.

Angie stepped off the ladder and let her legs dangle in the air as she hung onto the monkey bars. She cried out in fear. "Ahhh! It's scary!"

Michael rushed over and held her little body up. "It's okay, I got ya!"

Angie was about to let go of the bar but Michael stopped her. "No, don't let go. You have to keep going."

"But it's scary."

"But you can't give up. Here, I'll help you." He adjusted her body so she was sitting on his shoulders. "Swing your arms forward."

"But what if I fall?"

Michael assured the six year old, "You won't fall. I got a good hold of you and I promise I won't let go. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Good. All right now." Michael helped Angie swing from bar to bar.

Sara watched with amazement at the scene. She never met a guy like Michael before.

"Your husband is really good with kids."

Sara turned around to see an elderly woman with a poodle behind her. "Oh, no, he's not my husband and they aren't my kids," Sara said to her. "They're my sister's kids, I'm just baby-sitting them."

"Oh my mistake," the old woman said smiling. "But still, your boyfriend is very god with kids."

"He's not my boyfriend."

"Really? Who is he then?"

"Just a friend."

"Honey, if I was you, that man wouldn't be 'just a friend' for much longer."

Sara smiled and slightly chuckled.

"Well dear, I must be off," the woman said with a smile, "you have a nice day now."

"You too."

The poodle woman began to walk away and Sara turned back around at the sound of Angie's happy squeal. She had made it across the monkey bars with Michael's help.

"See, I told you it would be all right," Michael said to the six year old.

"Thank you Michael!" Angie said happily. She saw Sara walk up to them. "Auntie Sara, did you see me on the monkey bars?"

Sara nodded. "Uh huh. You did a wonderful job. You too Connor." The twins beamed at her. "It's getting kind of late. How about we head back to my place for dinner?"

"Yeah!" Connor cheered, always the hungry one.

Angie tugged on Sara's shirt. "Can Michael have dinner with us?"

Sara looked from her to Michael. "If he wants to."

Michael smiled. "I'd love to.

"Yay!" Angie grabbed Michael's hand and began dragging him off towards Sara's car.

Sara smiled after them. She tousled Connor's hair. "Come on little guy." The two followed after Angie and Michael.

---

"So this is the apartment of Sara Tancredi," Michael said as he walked inside and looked around. "It's quite cozy and there's not that much clutter like at Andrew's. It's nice to know that we're not all pack rats."

Sara laughed. "You should see it when I have a whole lot of paperwork from the hospital." She turned to the twins. "You two go wash up while I get started on dinner, okay?"

"Okay!" They said in unison.

Sara smiled as they skipped off to the bathroom. She then headed for the kitchen. Michael followed after her.

"So, what's for dinner?" he asked as she pulled out things from her cupboards.

"Spaghetti."

"Spaghetti?"

"Yeah, it's Angie and Connor's favorite food, so I make it for them every time I baby sit."

Michael smiled. "That's nice. Do you need any help?" he offered.

"No, but thank you," Sara said as she turned on the stove. "Oh, and thank you for helping Angie on the monkey bars. I had no idea you were so good with kids."

"I have a nephew of my own."

"Really? How old?"

"I think he's about twelve now."

"Ah adolescence," Sara talked as she cooked, "I wonder how my sister will handle the twins when they reach that age.

"I'm sure they'll turn out fine. They have a great aunt to keep them in line."

Sara laughed as she continued cooking. "I wouldn't be too sure about that. I was kind of rebellious as a kid."

Michael furrowed his eyebrows in curiosity, but smiled. "You?"

"Yeah," she said rather bashfully.

"Auntie Sara..." Both Michael and Sara turned around to see Connor holding something in his little hands. "What's this?"

"That's my stethoscope, Connor."

"Stef-a-scope?"

"It's what the doctors use to listen to your heartbeat," Michael explained.

"Wow! Auntie Sara, can we play with it?" Angie asked.

"Okay. Michael, can you keep an eye on them?"

"Sure." Michael led them to Sara's living room and sat them on the couch. He heard Sara call out from the kitchen.

"Be sure to wipe the ear pieces first. There are wipes on my shelf."

Michael chuckled at her cleanly doctor ways. He found the wipes on one of her book shelves which were packed tightly together with many books. Most were medical but there were also various novels as well. He plucked the box of wipes off the shelf and used a sheet to wipe the ear pieces of the stethoscope.

"All right, here you go," Michael said to Connor as he fixed the thing on his head. "Angie, come here." She scooted over to them on the couch. Michael placed the metal piece on her chest. "Can you hear your sister's heartbeat Connor?"

Connor nodded. Angie's eyes lit up in excitement. "What does it sound like?"

"Bump...Bump...Bump..."

"Cool! I wanna listen!"

Connor took off the stethoscope and Michael wiped it again before fixing it onto Angie's ears. She listened to her brother's heartbeat.

"Wow!" She turned towards the kitchen and hollered. "Auntie Sara! Auntie Sara! You hafta listen to this!"

Sara appeared out of the kitchen. "I've listened to many people's heartbeats at the hospital, Sweetie. I know what it sounds like."

"Then let Michael listen to yours!" Angie suggested happily.

Sara blinked and then became a little flustered. She turned to look at Michael who was smiling. "I have to finish cooking."

"Come on Sara, it will only take a second. The spaghetti will be fine in the mean while." Michael's smile grew. "Let me listen to your heart."

Sara blushed. She then glanced at her niece and nephew. They were silently urging her to do it with smiles on their face. "All right." She surrendered.

Sara knelt down next to Michael and he placed the metal piece gently on her chest. Sara found herself taking a deep breath as he did so. She looked up and immediately her eyes were locked with Michael's intense blue green ones. His gaze on her was so strong, it made her nervous and excited at the same time.

"My, my, doctor," Michael began playfully as he listened to her heartbeat, "your heart is beating kind of fast."

"It is?" Angie asked.

"Are you okay, Auntie Sara?" Connor asked out of concern.

Sara's cheeks flushed a light crimson. She then brought her hand up, wrapping her fingers softly around Michael's wrist, and moved the stethoscope piece away from her chest. "I'm fine Connor; there are some times when people's hearts beat faster than normally."

"Why?" The twins both asked.

Sara smiled at them. "I'll tell you when you're both older. I have to get back to cooking dinner." She got up and began walking back to the kitchen. She threw one quick glance back at Michael. He was smiling at her.

Dinner was ready soon after that and the four of them sat down to eat.

"Auntie Sara makes the best spaghetti in the world!" Connor proudly said as he slurped some noodles into his mouth.

"Connor, don't talk with your mouth full," Sara said, laughing.

They ate and rambled on about various things. Well, the twins were doing most of the rambling. They talked about anything and everything from school to their friends. During dinner, Sara would catch Michael staring at her a few times. They would smile at each other and then Sara would look down at her plate of spaghetti bashfully.

After dinner Sara popped in the Lion King DVD for the twins to watch while she went to wash the dishes. Michael followed after her.

"Would you like some help?" he offered.

Sara smiled. "Sure, thank you."

They stood side by side at the sink, washing the dishes together. Sara scrubbed them down while Michael rinsed.

"Connor was right, you do make the best spaghetti," Michael said as he placed a plate on the dish rack.

"Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed my cooking," she replied as she handed him another dish to rinse.

"So," Michael asked slowly, "why was your heart beating so fast earlier?" He smirked. "Do I make you nervous?"

Sara smiled but kept scrubbing. "Just keep rinsing, Michael." He just chuckled.

After they finished with the dishes, the two of them joined the twins in watching the movie. Towards the end Sara noticed Angie and Connor yawning. It was near their bedtime.

"All right you two, I think it's time for bed now."

She softly urged the twins up from the couch and walked them to the bathroom so they could brush their teeth and get ready for bed. Michael turned off the DVD player and the television set.

"Michael," he heard Sara call out from the bathroom, "can you grab their bag? It's by the coffee table."

"Sure," he called back as he grabbed the bag and promptly brought it to them. "Here."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome," Michael said. He then left to wait out in the living room as Sara helped the twins into their pajamas.

"Auntie Sara," Angie said as Sara took the hair bands out of her hair, causing her pigtails to fall down, "I like Michael. He's nice."

"Yeah, me too," Connor agreed.

Sara smiled. "I like him too. Come on now, off to bed!"

The twins sleepily walked out of the bathroom and to Sara's bedroom. She pulled back her bed sheets and the twins climbed in. Michael came and stood in the doorway, watching as Sara tucked them in.

"Goodnight you two," she said softly.

"Goodnight Auntie Sara," Connor said through a yawn.

"Goodnight Auntie Sara," Angie said as well. She saw Michael in the doorway and smiled. "Goodnight Michael."

"Goodnight," Michael said returning her smile.

He and Sara left the room quietly as the twins fell asleep.

"Are they spending the night?" Michael asked.

Sara shook her head. "Their parents are going to pick them up at eleven."

"Ah, I see."

Sara smiled. "I think Angie has a crush on you."

"Really?"

"Yeah." She smiled again. "First my stepmother and now my niece," Sara said with a laugh, "you're turning out to be quite the heartthrob."

Michael chuckled softly. "I guess I appeal to women of all ages."

They both laughed. Their laughter was soon followed by a comfortable silence.

"It's late," Sara said.

"Yeah."

"You probably want to go home, huh?"

Michael just shrugged. He really didn't want to go home just yet. Then a thought crossed his mind. "I can't go home. My car's still at Andrew's place."

"Oh," Sara said, "I forgot about that. I would give you a ride, but I don't want to leave the twins here by themselves."

"That's okay. I'll just call a cab."

"But cabs are expensive these days. Why don't you just wait until my sister comes to pick up Angie and Connor and I'll drop you off then."

Michael smiled flirtatiously. "You trying to keep me here, Sara?"

"It's not 'keeping you here' if you want to stay," she flirted right back.

Michael chuckled. "Okay." He smiled at her. "What shall we do until then?"

"We could watch a movie," Sara suggested.

---

Michael woke up and found himself sitting on a couch. Something was resting on his right shoulder. He blinked the sleep from his eyes and looked down to see Sara sleeping against him. The two of them must have fallen asleep during the movie. He watched as Sara slumbered and smiled. She looked beautiful sleeping there like that. A piece of her hair had fallen onto her face and Michael felt the urge to tuck it behind her ear. He brought his hand up to her face and gently brushed her hair away. Sara's eyes fluttered open at the butterfly touch of his fingers on her skin.

"Hi," Michael said in a deep soft voice.

"Michael...did I fall asleep?" Sara asked, raising her head from his shoulder.

"We both did."

"Oh." She then blushed. "I'm sorry; I used you as a pillow."

Michael just smiled. "I might as well be used for something."

Sara laughed lightly. "What time is it?"

"Almost eleven."

The red head looked up at the clock on her wall. "My sister should be here soon." She turned back to Michael and was locked into another one of his gazes. His eyes were mesmerizing and Sara just couldn't look away. She knew that he didn't need a stethoscope to know that her heart was beating fast at the moment.

Michael slowly began to lean forward. His face came closer and closer to hers. Sara let her eyes flutter shut as she felt his warm breath upon her lips...

_Knock. Knock._

Sara jumped back slightly just as their lips were about to meet. She looked to the front door of her apartment. "That's probably my sister."

Michael nodded. He sighed as Sara got up from the couch to answer the door. She opened it to find Rose and Bill standing just outside.

"Hi you guys," Sara said as she hugged each of them.

"Hi Sara," Rose said to her sister.

"How was the festival?" Sara asked them.

"Great," Bill replied.

"Listen Sara, thanks for looking after the twins on such short notice. We're so sorry about that," Rose said.

"It's okay. I had help from my friend Michael."

Michael stood up from the couch. "Hi, it's nice to meet you."

Rose looked from Sara to Michael and then back to her sister. She grinned and mouthed the words "Nice catch!" to her. Sara just turned away, smiling in embarrassment.

"Are the twins asleep in your room, Sara?" Bill asked.

"Uh, yeah, I'll go get their things."

Rose and Bill went to the bedroom to retrieve their sleeping children while Sara got their things from the bathroom.

"Thanks again Sara for baby-sitting them," Rose said as she carried the sleeping Angie in her arms. Bill had Connor in his.

"No problem, sis," Sara said.

They said their goodbyes and soon left, leaving Michael and Sara by themselves.

"So," Sara began, turning towards Michael, "I should probably get you home now."

---

"You live in there?" Sara said in awe as she drove up to a tall building near the Chicago River.

"Yup."

"What floor?"

"Twenty-first."

"Wow, you must have a fantastic view of the city then."

"Yeah."

Michael smiled and watched Sara as she stared in amazement at the building he lived in. She caught him looking at her.

"What?"

Michael just kept on smiling and shook his head. "It's nothing. I just had a lot of fun with you today."

Sara smiled back at him. "I had fun with you too."

"What are you doing next weekend?" he asked her.

"Nothing at the moment, why?"

"Well, would you like to have dinner with me?"

Sara smiled. "You mean like a date? Are you asking me out Michael?"

Michael nodded. "Yes I am. So what do you say?"

"I'd love to."

Michael grinned. "Great. I'll call you later then."

"Okay."

"Goodnight Sara."

"Goodnight Michael."

They exchanged one more smile with each other before Michael climbed out of Sara's car. He watched her drive away still with that smile on his face.


	6. Friends

A/N: Okay here's the next chapter. This one's really long, almost twice as long as the chapters are normally. And it's kind of a doozy. 

Thank you goes to Jennifer for being the best beta reader out there and to Elizabeth for all her support!

Also, I've been trying to load this chapter on this site this entire past week, but FF wouldn't let me. Grrr... Anyway, read on!

* * *

_Knock. Knock._

Michael looked up from his seat on his seat on the couch. He turned off the TV and headed to his front door where Andrew was waiting just behind it. He grinned.

"Hey man, let's get your ugly ass car off my driveway."

Michael just chuckled and stepped out of his apartment. "Morning to you too, Andrew."

Andrew laughed and the two of them began to walk down to the elevator. "So how did you get home last night if your car was at my place?" he asked.

"Sara gave me a ride."

They got into the elevator and rode it down. Andrew smirked at Michael. "Ah, so did you bring her up, seduce her with your fancy loft, then throw her down on your bed and-"

"I did no such thing," Michael said with a smile and a shake of his head.

"Why not? It would have been a good plan," Andrew said still with that smirk on his face. Michael just smiled and looked down at his feet. "So what did you do then?"

"We went to the park, hung out there for awhile, then went back to her place for dinner, and watched a movie," Michael said simply.

"Did you kiss her?"

Michael just smiled and shook his head.

"Oh come on Michael!" Andrew said with disbelief. "You didn't even try to make a move on her?"

"Well, we kind of got interrupted by her sister and brother-in-law showing up."

"Oh."

Michael grinned. "But I did manage to ask her out to dinner."

Andrew smirked once again. "You sly devil."

---

"Morning."

Sara looked up from her desk and saw Lindsey walk into the room. She smiled and said, "Morning how was New York?"

"Oh you know, 'Hi Mom. Hi Dad.' And then the normal, 'Hi Sweetie, we found this nice guy. Why don't you marry him and have his babies so we can get grandkids.' You know the usual stuff when visiting parents."

Sara laughed. "Was he at least cute?"

"Actually, he was," Lindsey said with a smile. "Well, enough about my weekend, what about yours?"

Sara gave her a not so subtle smile. "It was nice."

"Just nice? Come on, you have to give me a bit more than that. Especially since you're smiling like that!" Lindsey said with her hands on her hips.

Sara laughed lightly. "Well, I went to the barbecue and had a lovely time with Michael, Lily and Andrew. And then I left to go to the park."

Lindsey looked at her quizzically. "The park?"

"I was baby-sitting my niece and nephew."

"Oh," Lindsey said dully.

"...and Michael came with us."

"Oh," Lindsey said again, only this time with intrigue and a smirk. "Go on."

"After the park we went back to my place for dinner and then watched a movie."

"That's it?" Lindsey asked. Sara smiled. She then realized that Sara was holding back on the details. She pouted. "You're not going to tell me the juicy details, are you?"

Sara shook her head. "There aren't any juicy details to tell."

"You guys didn't even kiss?"

Sara shook her head again. "But he did ask me out to dinner."

Lindsey squealed. "You know what this means?"

"What?"

"I get to take you out shopping for a new outfit for your date!"

Sara laughed lightly. The two friends were interrupted by a cough in the room. They looked up to see their boss in the doorway with her hands on her hips. She looked at the young doctors sternly.

"Get back to work you two!"

Sara and Lindsey straightened their backs at the tone of her voice. "Yes ma'am!"

---

"So where are you going to take her?" Andrew asked as he and Michael worked on the blueprints for Fox River.

"I was thinking that Italian place, you know, Sylvia's," Michael said.

Andrew looked at him in a funny way. "You do know that place is run by the mob, right?"

"Just because it's Italian doesn't mean that it's run by the mob."

"No, it's true. The name Sylvia is the name of the wife of the mob boss John Abruzzi."

"Well, as long as they have good food, I could care less about whether the mob is tied to it or not," Michael said as he took out another set of blueprints and set them on his desk.

Andrew just shrugged and the two of them kept on working. He then looked around the office. "Hey, where's Lily?"

Michael didn't look up from his work. "She has the day off today, why?"

"Oh, no reason," Andrew said with a bit of disappointment laced in his voice.

Michael glanced at his friend. "You sound like you miss her."

Andrew sharply looked up and then back down just as quickly. "No, it's just weird not having her here. Normally by now, she's yelling her head off at me over something."

Michael smiled at his friend who was averting his gaze. There might be hope for his two friends just yet.

---

Lily had been staring at the same pair of jeans for the past twenty minutes. She stood there in the boutique for a good while, trying to decide if she should give in and pay the hefty price tag for the pants.

"Aw, what the hell."

She caved in and grabbed the pants off the rack. She turned just in time to see a familiar red head enter the store. "Sara!"

Sara turned in her direction. Lindsey was at her side. "Lily! Hey!"

Lily smiled at them. "Hi, fancy meeting you guys here. What's up?"

Lindsey grinned. "Oh nothing, just shopping for Sara's big date with Michael this weekend."

Lily's mouth opened wide in a bright smile. "He asked you out?"

Sara smiled with rosy cheeks. "Yes."

"Hey, you want to help us out, Lily?" Lindsey asked her.

"Sure."

"Great!" Lindsey said, linking her arms with the two women. She dragged them further into the store. "So Sara, where is he taking you?"

"I don't know. He hasn't told me yet."

"He'll probably take you somewhere really nice and classy. That's the kind of guy he is," Lily said.

"So we should look for something formal, but not too formal, yet all the while very sexy," Lindsey said with a grin.

Sara laughed. "Lindsey, you sound very excited about all this, and you're not even the one going on the date."

"Well, it's been awhile since I've been on a date, even longer since I had sex." That earned a chuckle out of the other two women.

"What about that guy you met at your parents'?" Sara asked.

"That," Lindsey began as she searched the clothing racks, "was not a date. That was dinner with my parents with polite smiles and no kissing."

Sara and Lily laughed again. Lindsey pulled a dress off the rack. "How about this?"

Sara eyed the dress with a shocked look on her face. Could a neckline that low still be considered a neckline? "That's a little too much cleavage than I'd like to show."

Lindsey placed the dress back and the three of them kept on searching the store.

"Oh!" Lily pulled a dress out. "What about this dress, Sara?"

Sara turned to see the dress Lily had found. Her mouth opened in awe at the simple beauty of it. "It's beautiful."

Lily held up a strapless green dress that flowed a couple of inches above the knee. "The green will go great with your hair, you know, the whole complementary colors thing."

Sara smiled down at the dress as she felt the soft material between her fingers.

"Well, don't just stand there! Go try it on!" Lindsey said as she gave Sara a little shove towards the fitting rooms.

Once she was inside with the curtain pulled closed, Sara glanced at the long mirror. She held the dress against her body and looked at her reflection. The dress was one shade darker than the green she saw in Michael's eyes. She smiled and began undressing. Meanwhile, Lily and Lindsey waited outside. Suddenly, Lindsey's cell phone began to ring.

"I'll be back in a second," she excused herself and walked off to a remote corner of the store.

Lily sat by herself for a couple of minutes but then heard the fitting room curtain being pushed aside. She looked up and saw Sara step out. "Wow Sara, you look amazing!"

"Really?" Sara walked up to the three way mirror stand and stared back at her reflection. Lily was right. The green really did go well with her reddish hair. And the dress fit perfectly too.

"Yeah, Michael's gonna be blown away when he sees you."

"Thanks," Sara said with a smile. She then noticed Lily staring at her. "What?"

"It's nothing. You're just really lucky, you know, to find a guy you really like and who likes you in return, and then to have everything just click."

"Are you thinking of Andrew when you say that?" Sara asked her.

Lily looked surprised. "How did you...?" Then realization hit her. "Michael told you." Sara nodded. Lily shook her head. "I'm going to kill him."

Sara laughed. "Do you think you could do that after my date with him?"

Lily laughed and then she sat down, letting out a soft sigh. Sara stood in front of her.

"You want to talk about it?"

"He has no clue and it's just difficult being around him because of that," Lily said, letting out a frustrated sigh.

"How did you fall for him in the first place?"

Lily looked up at Sara and then back down at her hands in her lap. She sighed once again. "A long time ago our firm got a client from this big business. The representative was handsome and charming and he flirted with me. We went out a few times and I started falling for him. But it turned out he was only using me so that his business didn't have to pay a lot for our work. After the project was over, he dumped me and I was heartbroken."

"Oh my..." Sara said.

Lily sighed and continued. "One day after that, Andrew came up to me, asking about our new project and I just broke down into tears. He looked shocked to see me cry and then he pulled me into his arms and just hugged me." Lily smiled. "He asked me what was wrong and I told him through my sobs. He then told me that I was stronger than this, stronger than that guy and that I shouldn't let him get away with what he did to me."

Sara smiled at that part.

"I was so surprised at his words. When I first met Andrew, I thought he was an idiot." Lily laughed lightly. "I still think he's an idiot, but he's a lovable idiot that can be really sweet."

"What happened after that?" Sara asked.

"Andrew pushed me to go back to that guy and basically tell him off, so I did just that. I walked into his office and cut him down in front of all his co-workers. God, it felt wonderful! I slapped the bill in his face and told him that he had to pay full price like everyone else and then I simply walked out of the building, feeling damn proud of myself."

Sara smiled again.

"Andrew was waiting for me just outside when I came out. He grinned at me and then took me out for a drink to celebrate." Lily smiled once again. "And that's how it happened."

"Wow."

"Yeah."

"Maybe you should just tell him," Sara suggested.

Lily laughed. "Michael said the same thing."

Sara smiled. "Well, Michael's a smart man."

"Please," Lily said, "he already has a big enough head as is, don't make it any bigger."

Sara chuckled and sat down by her friend. "Well, it's going to have to come out eventually. You can't keep it in for too long, Lily."

"I know," Lily said, sighing. "When the time's right, I guess."

"Hey gals!"

They both looked up to see Lindsey walk back towards them. In her hands was a pair of black lacy underwear along with a matching strapless bra. She handed the lingerie to Sara.

"Here!"

"Lindsey, what's this?"

She smiled down at the red head. "Oh, just a little 'something' for you to wear under your dress... and maybe Michael can take it off later." Her smile turned into a playful smirk.

Sara blushed furiously. "Lindsey, it's the first date! I doubt things would go that far!"

Lily just chuckled.

---

Michael sat on the edge of his bed. It was well into the evening now and he was back home at his loft. Michael pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. Meanwhile, at the same moment, Sara was back at her apartment as well. She was just hanging up her new green dress, smoothing down the fabric, when her cell phone began to ring. She crossed her bedroom floor to reach for it on her beside table. Flipping it open she saw that Michael was calling her. She smiled.

"Hi Michael," she said into her phone as she sat on her bed.

Michael could feel her smile over the phone. It made him smile as well. "Hi, how are you?"

"Great, wonderful in fact. What about you?"

"The same. Hey listen," Michael shifted his phone to his other ear, "how do you feel about Italian food?"

"I love it."

"Great, because I was thinking about taking you to a restaurant called Sylvia's."

"Sounds lovely, Michael."

Michael smiled. "Great, I'll make reservations for us at eight."

"I can't wait," Sara said, smiling into the phone.

"So," Michael began, "how was your day?"

"Oh you know, work and then I went shopping with Lindsey later. Actually we ran into Lily today."

"Really?"

"Yes, and I found out why she fell in love with Andrew."

"You did? Why?"

"I'm not sure if I'm allowed to tell you. She was kind of mad that you told me about her feelings for him."

Michael chuckled. "Did she threaten to kill me?"

"Yup, and frankly, I would like to keep you alive, Mr. Scofield."

Michael laughed again. "Just tell me, I think I can take her. And if not, at least you're a doctor."

Sara chuckled with him. "Okay then. It turns out that Lily dated one of the firm's clients but he was just using her so they didn't have to pay as much."

"I heard about that. I joined the firm shortly after that incident. What does Andrew have to do with any of it?"

"Well, when the guy dumped her, it was Andrew that got her back on her feet, back to the strong woman that you and I both know her to be."

"Really? Andrew never told me any of this before," Michael said, surprised.

"So you really don't know if he has any feelings for her at all?" Sara asked.

"Well, when I told him that she had the day off today, he sounded like he missed her."

Sara smiled. "That's sweet." She fell back onto her bed. "I think we might be onto something here."

"Yeah," Michael agreed. There was a shy silence between them before Michael spoke up again. "So did you do anything else today?"

"No, not really. After I bought the dress, the three of us just hung out together."

Michael's ears perked up. "You bought a dress?" He wondered if it was for their date.

Sara became a little flustered. "Yeah... for this weekend."

Michael grinned. "Really?" His voice took on a flirtatious tone. "You buy anything else?"

Sara's eyes fell onto the little bag of lingerie that Lindsey forced her to buy. It sat innocently on the top of her dresser. She blushed madly. "No."

Michael chuckled. "Okay." He looked at his watch. It was getting late, and he needed to be at work early in the morning. "I have to go," he said into the phone, solemnly.

"Okay."

"I'll see you this Saturday."

"I can't wait," Sara said again.

Michael smiled. "Goodnight Sara."

"Goodnight Michael," she softly said back.

---

The week couldn't have gone by any slower. It seemed like Saturday would never come but soon enough it was here. Michael stood in front of his bathroom mirror, shaving his chin and jaw. After that was done he splashed water on his face and applied the aftershave. He gave his clean shaven reflection a look of approval and walked out of his bathroom clad only in his boxers. He crossed his bedroom floor to his dresser and pulled out a white dress shirt and black pants. He got dressed and then went to his closet. He pulled out his matching suit jacket and shrugged it on. It was almost seven. Michael was ready early, but that was because he was planning to stop by the flower shop and buy some roses for Sara before picking her up.

Michael grabbed his keys, wallet, and his phone and was about to leave when his cell phone began to ring. He flipped it open to see that his brother was calling him.

"Linc?"

"Hey Mike," Lincoln said in a drunken slur, "can you come pick me up?"

"Lincoln, are you drunk?" Michael asked in disbelief. It was early to be drunk, even for him.

"Yeah, and I need you to pick me up. I'm at J's Bar."

Michael closed his eyes in silent frustration. He breathed in deeply. "Fine, I'll be there soon. Just wait right there." He hung up his cell phone.

Michael looked down at his watch. Looks like he won't be able to get those roses now. He let out a long sigh. He flipped his cell phone open again. He had to call Sara. The phone rang a couple of times before she answered.

"Hi Michael," Sara said cheerfully.

"Hey Sara, listen, there's something I need to take care of really quick, so I'm going to be a little late. Do you think you can meet me at the restaurant?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Okay. I'll see you in about an hour."

"Bye Michael."

"Bye."

Michael quickly stuck his phone in his pocket and hurried out his front door.

---

About fifteen minutes later, Michael entered through the doors of J's Bar, only to find the place in complete chaos.

"You sonuva bitch!"

A big muscled skinhead yelled as he swung a punch at Lincoln's head. His head only turned to the side from the impact but he was still standing. Lincoln swung a punch back at his attacker. He only staggered back a little bit. He raised his fist once again. Michael sprinted over and grabbed a hold of the man's arm.

"Hey!"

The man grabbed Michael roughly by the arm and shoved him hard. "Back off punk!" Michael crashed back into a table, knocking it over.

Lincoln grew furious at the sight of someone pushing his little brother around. With a growl he tackled the bald man and the two crashed into a wooden chair, shattering it into huge pieces of wood. Lincoln sat on the guy, punching his face for a bit, but the man did an uppercut to his jaw, causing Lincoln to roll off him.

Michael regained some composure and got back on his feet to try and stop the bar fight once again. But the man saw him coming and twisted Michael's left arm behind his back. Michael cried out slightly when the guy slammed him into the jukebox. Michael grunted and elbowed the guy in the face to get him off of him.

"Freeze!"

Michael looked up to see quite a few police officers in the bar. Most had their batons out and ready, while a couple had their guns drawn out. Michael held up his hands in surrender.

---

"Hello!"

A skinny man in a suit greeted Sara at the front desk when she arrived at the restaurant.

"Hi," Sara said, smiling politely at him. "There should be a reservation for two under Michael Scofield."

The man looked down at his reservation book. "Scofield...Scofield...Scofield...Aha! Here we are! A reservation for a Michael Scofield and Sara Tancredi." The man smiled. "You must be Sara."

"Yes."

"And where is Mr. Scofield?"

"He's going to be a little late."

"All right then!" He picked up a couple of menus. "I shall lead you to your table and you can wait for him there."

Sara smiled politely again. "Thank you." And with that, she began following the skinny man to her table.

---

"You don't understand, I was only trying to stop the fight!" Michael yelled to the guard as he gripped the holding cell's bars.

"Yeah, yeah," the guard just said.

The two brothers were arrested along with the other guy in the fight. Michael and Lincoln were placed in a holding cell together. The other guy, well, Michael couldn't care less where he was.

"I need to be somewhere right now!" Michael said.

"Do I care? You're in here for the night, so quit yer whining!"

Michael grew frustrated. "What about my phone call? Don't I get to make one phone call?"

"Yeah, but frankly, you're pissing me off so you ain't getting' it!"

"What?"

"Michael, please," Lincoln said, holding his head with his hands, "stop yelling. You're giving me a headache."

Michael shot his brother an angry glare.

---

Sara let out a sigh. She had been waiting for over twenty minutes now and there was still no sign of Michael. She tried calling him twice on his cell, but he wasn't answering.

"Miss?"

Sara looked up to see one of the restaurant's waiters.

"Where is you date?" he asked her.

"I don't know."

"Is he going to show up?"

"It doesn't seem like it," Sara said sadly.

"I'm sorry Miss."

She gave the waiter a weak smile. "It's okay." She stood up. "I'm just going to go home. Thank you for your kindness."

Sara turned to walk away, but she bumped into someone.

"Oh! I'm so sorry...Sara?"

Sara looked up to see the face of her old boyfriend, Robert Spencer. She blinked in surprise.

"Robert?"

Robert smiled down at her. "You look amazing, Sara."

She smiled shyly at him. "Thanks, you look great too."

"Are you here with someone?"

She looked down at her feet. "Actually no, my date never showed up."

Robert frowned. "That's awful Sara. I'm sorry."

"Yeah, me too."

"You got all dressed up for nothing."

Sara looked down solemnly.

"Why don't you have dinner with me then?" Robert asked her.

Sara looked up into his face. He was being sincere. "But aren't you here with someone?"

"Just a couple of guys from the office."

"Won't they miss you?"

"Maybe, but I'd much rather eat with you," he said with a smile. "What do you say?"

Sara returned his smile. "All right."

---

Michael sat with his knees pulled up. His arms rested on his knees and his chin rested on his arms. Lincoln had fallen asleep at the other side of the cell.

"Hey whiner."

Michael looked up at the sound of the guard's voice.

"You can make your phone call now."

He opened the cell door and led Michael to the phone. Michael quickly dialed Sara's number.

---

Sara laughed lightly while she ate her food. She smiled at the man sitting across from her.

"Did you know that this place is affiliated with the mob?" Robert asked her.

"Really?"

"Yes. The name Sylvia comes from John Abruzzi's wife."

"Isn't he in prison?"

"Yes, I think he's doing life."

Sara took another bite of her dinner. "Well, run by the mob or not, the food here is divine."

Robert smiled at her and she smiled back. Suddenly, her cell phone began to ring. Sara swallowed her food and set her fork down.

"Aren't you going to answer that?" Robert asked her.

She stared down at her purse and then reached into it to turn her cell phone off. She didn't bother to see who was calling her. She already guessed who it was.

"No," she said to Robert. "We're having a good time. Why ruin it?" Sara smiled at him.

Robert smiled back at her. The two of them continued to eat and caught up on old times.

---

"Come on Sara, please answer," Michael mumbled under his breath. He got her voice mail. "Damn it!"

"Hey, wrap it up!" the officer yelled.

"Wait, I just need to-"

"Look, she ain't gonna answer, so why don't you get your butt back in the cell?" It was more of an order than a suggestion.

Michael sent a steely glare at the guard but he was unfazed. He sighed and hung up the phone in defeat.

---

"Haven't been here in awhile," Robert said as he walked into Sara's apartment. He looked around and smiled. "It hasn't changed much."

Sara laughed lightly. She pulled his jacket tightly around her shoulders. He had given it to her when they left the restaurant. "You want something to drink?" she asked him, heading towards her kitchen.

"Sure, what do you have?"

"I think I have a bottle of wine somewhere."

Robert raised an eyebrow. "More wine Sara?" They drank quite a bit at dinner already.

Sara laughed again. "You want some or not?"

Robert laughed with her. "Sure."

Sara reached for two wine glasses from her cupboards. She got the wine bottle out and struggled with the corkscrew top.

"Here, let me help you with that."

Robert walked over to her. He pulled out the corkscrew with ease and poured the wine into their glasses. He held his glass up and smiled.

"To reconnecting after all these years."

Sara smiled. "Cheers."

"Cheers."

Their glasses made a small 'clink' sound when they hit each other and the two of them exchanged smiles while they drank. Robert finished his glass off first. He set it down and then turned to watch Sara. Sara glanced at him and her cheeks began to flush, from both his gaze and the alcohol.

"What?"

Robert took a step forward towards her. He reached out a hand and brushed her curled hair from her face. "You're so beautiful."

His hand rested on the side of her face and he leaned his head down to hers. Sara gasped lightly when his lips brushed against hers, softly at first, and then not so softly. She found herself kissing him back. Then she felt Robert take the wine glass from her hands, freeing them so she could run them through his sandy blonde hair and then wrap them around his neck, deepening their kiss. She then felt his hands remove his jacket from her shoulders and then move down to her waist. The jacket fell to the floor in a flutter. Soon other articles of clothing would follow suit.

---

Sara woke up to the soft rays of the sun spilling into her bedroom through the windows. She laid on her right side with wrinkled bed sheets covering her body. She felt that something warm and heavy was wrapped around her waist. Sara turned over onto her back to see Robert sleeping peacefully beside her on his stomach.

Sara's eyes widened in surprise. She lifted her blankets up and saw that they were indeed both naked.

'Oh God, oh God... what happened?' she asked herself, although it was kind of obvious.

The memories of last night came rushing back to her. She remembered waiting for Michael but he never showed up. She remembered bumping into Robert and then having dinner with him. She remembered them coming back to her apartment and drinking. And then...

Sara looked over at Robert's sleeping form and blushed. She gently lifted his arm off her body and then sat up in bed, clutching her blanket to her bare chest. She needed to figure out what she was going to do and say when Robert woke up.

Too late. She felt him stir in bed beside her. She looked down at him and saw his eyes flutter open. He smiled at the sight of her.

"Hi," he said with bedroom eyes.

"Hi." Sara turned away and looked down at her lap.

Robert sat up and rubbed his hand gently down her naked back. He then kissed her bare shoulder. Sara stiffened at his touch. He felt her tense up.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

"No, it's just..." Sara looked up at him, "things kind of happened rather quickly, don't you think?"

He brushed the hair from her face, much like he did last night. "Yeah, they did. But we have history together. It's not like it was a one night stand." He kissed her shoulder once again and he felt her relax a little.

"But I'm not so sure about all this...about what happened last night," Sara said with a bit of vulnerability. She pulled away slightly from his lips.

"Last night," Robert said, smiling, "I had fun, the most fun I had in a long time. And I'm not just talking about the sex." Sara blushed a little bit at that. He continued. "And I know you did too."

Sara looked into his eyes. He was right. She did have fun with him last night. She looked back down at her lap.

Robert kissed her shoulder once again. "Last night made me realize how much I missed you, how much I still love you. It made me think that you and I could work again."

Sara looked at him again. "It's just that I feel a little guilty," she said. She then let out a soft moan as Robert trailed soft kisses up her neck. She had forgotten how wonderful his lips felt. "I was supposed to have dinner with another man last night."

"You mean that guy that stood you up? In my opinion, he doesn't deserve you," he said and then brought his lips up to hers.

Sara pulled back lightly. "And you think you do?"

Robert smiled at her. "Why do you always have to challenge me?"

Sara couldn't help but smile back. "You're a politician. Don't you live for challenges?"

Robert just grinned and he leaned forward again, pressing his lips up against hers once more. This time Sara didn't pull away. The two of them sat in bed together, kissing for awhile. Then suddenly, there was a frantic knock on her apartment door.

"Who could that be?" Sara wondered.

She slipped out of her bed and threw on her bathrobe, wrapping it tightly around her body. She walked on over to her front door and found her stepmother on the other side.

"Mom?"

"Sara! Oh my goodness, you're all right!" The older woman flung herself at her stepdaughter and pulled her into a tight hug.

Sara was taken aback. "Mom, I don't understand. What's wrong?"

"Oh dear, I thought something terrible happened to you. I called your cell phone again and again, but I got no answer. I was worried to death!"

"Mom, I'm okay. There's no need to worry. Look at me, I'm just fine," she assured her.

Eileen pressed a hand against Sara's cheek. "You look so tired though. What did you do?"

"Mrs. Tancredi?"

Both women turned to see Robert, now fully clothed, step out of Sara's bedroom. He smiled at the sight of the older woman. "I thought it was you."

Eileen smiled back. "Robert! Long time no see!" She then looked from him to Sara. She put two and two together and her mouth formed a small 'o.' "Are the two of you back together again?"

Robert looked to Sara to answer that question.

She smiled at him. "Yeah, we are."

He smiled back at her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Eileen smiled as well.

"Well now, that's just lovely. I'm happy for the two of you. And I'm sure your father will be happy to hear this too."

Sara looked down sheepishly and Robert chuckled. Robert was the only boyfriend of Sara's that her fathered actually liked.

"Well, I'll stop bothering the two of you now," Eileen said, giving her stepdaughter a hug. "We'll talk later, Sweetie."

"Okay, bye Mom," Sara said.

"Goodbye Mrs. Tancredi."

Robert turned to Sara once Eileen left. "So we are back together?" He smiled down at her.

She just sweetly smiled and he reached down and kissed her again.

---

Eileen Tancredi stepped off the elevator and headed on over to the main front doors of the apartment building, where she just happened to bump into Michael.

"Mrs. Tancredi, hello!" Michael said with a polite smile.

"Oh, Michael right?" He nodded. Eileen smiled at him. "How are you?"

"Fine," Michael replied, considering that he just spent the night in a holding cell and believed that the girl of his dreams hated him right now. But that's why he was here, to remedy that. "Did you just come down from seeing Sara?"

"Yes."

"So she's still here?"

"Yes."

Michael smiled. "Good. Thank you, Mrs. Tancredi." He walked on over to the elevator and pressed the button.

Eileen smiled and then turned to exit through the front door. Then she realized something. She quickly turned around.

"Michael!" she called out, but it was too late. The elevator doors were shut and he was gone.

---

The kiss between Robert and Sara heated up. Robert ran his hands through her hair, tousling it more than it already was.

_Knock. Knock. _

"Mmm... that's probably my mom again," Sara said, pulling away from their kiss.

"Okay." He let her go answer the front door.

Sara smiled as she opened the door, expecting to see her stepmother once again. "What is it now, Mom...Michael?"

Michael stood and stared at her, completely dumbfounded, which was a first for him. He took in her appearance: dressed in a bathrobe, tousled hair, flushed cheeks, and swollen lips.

"Sara?" A voice was heard from behind her and the final piece of the puzzle came into view: another man.

Michael put it all together. He looked down. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to bother you." He then quickly turned around and began to walk away.

"Michael, wait!"

Sara tried to go after him, but Robert grabbed her arm.

"Sara, is that the guy?" he asked her.

"Yes, and I think I should go talk to him right now." And with that, she took off down the all after Michael.

She caught up with him at the elevator. "Michael!"

Michael stood in front of the elevator doors, waiting for it to come. He avoided Sara's gaze. "You don't have to explain it to me, Sara."

"Yeah, but you do," Sara said, "Where were you last night?"

Michael finally looked at her. "What does it matter now?"

Sara crumbled under his look. "Michael..."

He looked away. "So who is he?"

"He's my ex-boyfriend...I ran into him when you didn't show up."

"I see."

"We had a bit too much to drink and things just kind of happened."

"Just answer me this, Sara," Michael began, "are you gonna go back to him?"

"I already have."

Those words cut into him deeper than he thought they would. He closed his eyes and nodded. "Okay." The elevator doors opened up and he stepped inside.

"Michael..."

"Sara, I messed up, I know that, but..." he trailed off and shook his head. "I'm sorry."

Michael pressed the button to go down and the elevator doors closed on Sara's stricken face.

---

"Hey Andrew, do you have the Fox River prints?" Lily asked as she looked through a couple of files in her arms.

"Uh huh," Andrew said, a little distracted.

Lily smacked the back of his head. "Hey!"

"Ow!" Andrew rubbed his head. "What?"

"Do you have the blueprints or not?"

"Yeah, they're on my desk."

"That's all you needed to say then!"

"Sorry, it's just... have you noticed something wrong with Michael today?" Andrew asked.

"Yeah..." Lily agreed. That morning, Michael walked in without saying 'Hello' to either of them.

"Do you think maybe his date with Sara went bad?" Andrew asked his friend.

"I don't know. Maybe we should talk to him."

Both of them walked into Michael's office. He didn't look up from his desk. "What?"

"Are you okay, man?" Andrew asked.

He didn't answer.

"How did your dinner date with Sara go?" Lily asked cautiously.

Still without looking up from his work, he answered. "It didn't."

"What do you mean?" Andrew asked.

Michael sighed and set down his pen. He proceeded to tell them the entire story of how his weekend went.

"Oh man, that sucks," Andrew said.

"Michael, I'm so sorry," Lily said.

"Yeah," Michael said, "me too."

---

Sara walked down the streets of Chicago by herself. It had been a couple of days since the whole incident. Robert tried assuring her that she shouldn't feel so bad about what happened, but she couldn't help it. She hurt Michael, she knew that. She hurt him much more than he had hurt her when he didn't show up for their date. She felt awful.

Sara let out a long sigh and she continued to walk down the sidewalk to clear her head. She looked up and saw the man she was thinking about sitting by himself in a coffee shop.

"Michael..." His name came off her lips in a whisper.

She watched him sip his coffee and read the newspaper and decided she needed to make amends. Sara entered the coffee shop and slowly approached his table.

"May I sit?" she asked softly.

Michael looked up from his newspaper and stared at her a little bit before answering. "Okay."

Sara sat down and Michael folded up his newspaper.

"I'm sorry Michael."

"It's not your fault."

"But still, I feel terrible," she said. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"And I didn't mean to hurt you either."

Sara looked down at her hands resting on the table top. She pressed her lips together hard before speaking again. "Michael, I really hate how it is between us right now, the awkwardness."

"I do too, Sara." Michael agreed. He missed the few fun times they had together.

Sara looked up and met his gaze. She then averted her eyes but still faced him. "So I was hoping that we could put this behind us and become friends again."

She focused her eyes back on him but he was just staring at her. It was his turn to look away. He remained silent.

Sara sadly nodded and stood up. "Okay then, I understand." She turned to walk away.

"Sara, wait!"

She turned around at the sound of his deep voice. He had risen up from his chair.

"I want us to be friends again too," he said.

Sara gave him a small smile. "Okay."

"Okay," Michael repeated, a small smile beginning to form on his own face as well.

"So we are friends now," Sara stated.

"Yeah."

Sara nodded. "Okay, I guess I'll talk to you later then, Michael. I have to get to work."

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye Michael."

And with that Sara left the coffee shop. Michael watched her walk away. He sat back down and let out a long sigh.


	7. Crashes and Ice cream

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Okay, I realize that I upset a lot of you with the last chapter. And I knew that most of you would be unhappy, but I went and did it anyway. Storytelling isn't bending to the whims and wishes of the readers. While I love you guys and appreciate your comments and suggestions, in the end I'm here to tell a story that will affect you and get a strong reaction out of you and the last chapter did that. 

Now I get that many of you want fluff. That is understandable considering all the angsty/dramatic fic out there. There will still be fluff, you can just ask my beta reader Jennifer and Elizabeth, I've told them some future plots (But don't expect them to give you the juicy details, because I gave them strict instructions not to talk to anyone but myself and each other about my fic). But there will be drama as well. Life isn't always peaches and cream. Michael and Sara will have problems and issues to deal with, just like everyone else. Plus, I have to add the drama to keep the story going. There's only so much you can do with fluff. 

And to the people that think that Sara was OOC (out of character) in the last chapter, I'm sorry to say that maybe you aren't paying much attention to the character on the show. Sara, while smart, tends to make a lot of bad decisions, for example, being a junkie. While she may not be sticking morphine needles into her arm in my fic, the sort of behavior she shows when she was an addict will be in my story at a few times. 

Now that I got that all out, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Sara sat hunched over a table in a small diner. She silently and sullenly stirred the creamer into her coffee. Her stepmother sat across from her, looking on, worried.

* * *

"Sara, I thought you and Michael agreed to be friends. Isn't everything all right?" Eileen asked.

"On the surface it is, but underneath it really isn't," Sara sighed, "I feel so dirty, Mom."

"Because you slept with Robert?"

"Because I got drunk, slept with him, and then hurt Michael." If it was possible, Sara sunk even lower in her seat.

"So are you going to break things off with Robert?" Eileen asked.

"I don't know. He says he loves me."

"Do you love him?"

"I don't know. There's something there but..."

"But there's also something with Michael?" Eileen guessed.

Sara looked down at her coffee. "Yeah, but I think I pretty much messed that up."

"Oh Sweetie..."

"What should I do, Mom?" Sara asked, in desperate need of advice.

"I honestly don't know, Sara. I adore Robert, but Michael seems like a good guy."

"He is a good guy..." Sara let out a long confused sigh.

Eileen stared at her stepdaughter and watched as she tormented herself. She felt awful for Sara. "You know, I always thought that maybe it would be fun to have two guys chasing after me, but after all that's happened to you I don't think it would be much fun after all."

Sara smiled for a brief second but then she went back to kicking herself.

"There's always some reason why things happen the way that they do. Things will work out somehow," Eileen said in an attempt to comfort Sara.

"I hope you're right, Mom."

---

Lily and Andrew peeked in through the glass window of Michael's office. He was at his desk, buried in work, diligently scribbling his pen on paper.

"I'm worried about him," Lily said.

"Yeah, me too," Andrew said sighing. "He gets like this whenever he's upset, he buries himself in his work. It ain't healthy."

"I know and I hate it when he gets all broody and focused like this. It's kind of scary," Lily said.

"Man, if I ever meet that Robert guy...argh!" Andrew made a fist with one hand and slammed it into the other. "And Sara! How could she run to that guy and then tell Michael that she just wants to be friends with him?"

"Well, alcohol was involved."

"Why are you defending her?"

"Because I like Sara, and Michael does too otherwise he wouldn't have locked himself in his office, burying himself in blueprints in a sorry attempt not to think of her!" Lily said, raising her voice.

"You don't have to yell at me, Lily," Andrew said.

Lily took a deep breath. "I'm sorry Andrew." She sighed and looked at Michael once again. "It's just not fair."

"No, it really isn't."

"I thought that at least one of us would be able to have some sort of a love life, you know. I guess none of us will get a happy ending," Lily said solemnly.

Andrew looked down. "Now that's a depressing thought."

---

"I don't understand," Lindsey said, "You're going to stay with Robert?"

Sara avoided her friend's eyes as she gathered up the paperwork she needed before she made her daily hospital rounds. She remained silent too.

"What happened to that little oath of yours that said you would never date a politician ever again?" Lindsey asked. "Actually, wasn't Robert the whole reason why you made that oath in the first place?" Her voice took on a sort of angry tone.

Sara remained silent, but she seemed to shrink in size at Lindsey's biting words.

"You hypocrite," Lindsey said bitterly. It wasn't that she didn't like Robert, she hated him! The two of them never got along.

"Lindsey, please," Sara said finally speaking up, "I don't need this right now."

"Excuse me."

Both women looked up to see a delivery boy standing in the doorway of their office. In his hands was a vase of roses.

"I have a delivery for a Dr. Sara Tancredi," the boy said, "from a Robert Spencer."

Sara stepped up to the boy and forced a polite smile on her face as she took the flowers from him. "I'm her, thank you."

Lindsey watched with narrowed eyes as Sara took the flowers from him. The boy nodded and then left, leaving the two doctors alone once again. Sara set the vase down on her desk. Lindsey just rolled her eyes.

"Why would you go back to a guy that never learned that you don't like flowers?"

Sara just winced.

---

Andrew looked into Michael's office once again. He was still hard at work. Andrew sighed. It was like this the whole day. Michael hardly ever came out of his office. Now it was night time and everyone was getting ready to go home. Everyone except Michael. He looked like he planned on staying there the whole night.

"Hey."

Andrew turned his head to see Lily. She had her coat on. "Hey, you headin' home?" he asked her.

"Yeah, you?"

"I think I'm gonna stay and talk to Michael for a bit."

"Well, good luck with that," Lily said.

Andrew nodded. "Thanks." He smiled at her. "Goodnight."

She smiled back. "Goodnight."

Andrew kept his eyes on her as she walked away until she turned a corner down a hall and disappeared from his sight. He sighed and turned back to look at Michael. He stood up and headed on over to his office. Knocking on the door first before entering, Andrew cleared his throat. "Hey Mike."

"Hey," Michael said, his voice filled with a put on stoic tone.

"Why don't you call it a night and come have a drink with me?" Andrew asked with a small hopeful grin.

"No thank you."

Andrew's grin fell. "Come on Michael! You've been working yourself to the bone the past few days! Let loose a little bit and come have a drink with me. I'll buy."

Michael tried to ignore his friend but then saw that he wasn't giving up. He looked up from his desk and into Andrew's face. "You're just going to stand there until I agree to go with you, aren't you?"

"Yup."

Michael looked down and lightly smiled at his friend's concern for him. "Fine."

Andrew grinned at him victoriously.

---

Andrew took a swig from his glass. "Ah, that's the good stuff," he said lightheartedly.

He and Michael sat at the bar. The bartender poured Michael a drink. He moved onto the other customers.

"I know why you brought me here, Andrew. I'm not stupid," Michael said.

"I know you're not stupid, so I'll just get to the point. This whole 'Sara thing' has got you all up set, huh?"

Michael let out a long sigh.

Andrew went on talking. Talk to me Mike. Just get some things off your chest."

"Like what?" Michael swirled the brown liquid around in his glass. The ice clinked against the glass as it moved.

"Oh I don't know, like how you want to bash in that Robert guy's head?" Andrew suggested.

That got a slight chuckle out of Michael.

Andrew grinned. "Come on. You can't tell me that the thought never crossed your mind?"

Michael chuckled again. "I'd by lying if I said I didn't." He took a sip from his drink.

Andrew laughed with his friend. "Then let's go do it!"

"Haha... as tempting as that sounds, Andrew, it wouldn't be a good idea. The guy's a big shot politician and I don't want to do anything that wouldn't leave me in Sara's good graces," Michael said.

"Well, if you ask me, she's the one that needs to work to get back in your good graces," Andrew said.

"Don't talk about her like that," Michael said.

Andrew stared at his friend hard. Realization hit him. "You're falling for her, aren't you?"

Michael just sighed and took another sip from his glass.

"Oh man, you are," Andrew said. He turned back to his own drink. "That's when things get complicated, when you start falling for the girl." He took another swig from his drink.

Michael looked to his friend. "You sound like you're speaking from experience. Have you fallen for someone now?"

"Me? No, of course not," Andrew said rather quickly.

Michael chuckled a bit. "You're lying."

"Okay, so what if I like someone, it's not a big deal," Andrew said bringing his glass up to his lips.

"Who is it?"

Andrew quietly sipped his drink.

Michael smiled. "Okay, I'll just make a wild guess then." His smile turned into a knowing grin. "Is it Lily?"

Andrew nearly choked on his drink. "How did you..?" he trailed off and then looked down at his glass shyly.

Michael smiled. "I thought so." He watched as a small blush appeared on his friend's face. "So what's the story? When did you fall for her?"

Andrew let out a small sigh. "I'm not really sure." He then smiled. "When I first met her, I thought she was hot, you know, so I hit on her. She blew me off, of course." Michael chuckled at that. "Then, I don't know, I guess somewhere down the line of working beside her, I fell for her. But I didn't realize it until that jerk went and broke her heart."

"Yeah, I heard about that," Michael said. "Why didn't you ever ask her out after that?"

"She just got over him. I didn't want to be the rebound guy."

"But it's been almost a year, Andrew," Michael said, "what's your excuse now?"

Andrew sighed and then let out a small chuckle. "She thinks I'm an idiot. She'd probably laugh at me."

"She might surprise you."

"Yeah, right," Andrew said sarcastically. He drank from his glass again and the bar tender poured him some more.

Michael chuckled. He found it funny and a little sad that his friends spent all this time thinking that the other didn't feel the same way. "You should just ask her out."

"Hey," Andrew began, "this little beer trip was supposed to be about your girl problems, not mine. How the hell did you turn it around?"

Michael just smiled and took a drink from his glass.

---

The two of them hung out at the bar for awhile before deciding to go home. Andrew was practically stumbling out of the building.

"Whoa," Michael said, steadying his friend, "I think you had too much to drink, Andrew."

Andrew chuckled. "Yeah."

"Come on," Michael steered him towards his car, "I'll take you home."

They got into Michael's car. Andrew held his head in his hands. "Man, I'm going to have a huge hangover in the morning."

"Well, you shouldn't have drunk so much."

"How much did you drink?" Andrew asked.

"One glass."

"You suck."

Michael just laughed and started up his car. Hanging out with Andrew tonight helped him to feel a little bit better. He was grateful to have a friend like him. He didn't know what he would do without him. They were stopped at a red light.

"When we get to your place, I'll make that 'cures hangovers' drink for you and you can drink it in the morning," Michael said.

"Thanks man."

Michael chuckled once again. The light turned green. He moved his foot onto the gas. Andrew looked to the right outside the window. Bright headlights shone in his face.

"Hey, that car looks like it's not gonna st—"

_CRASH!_

---

Sara let out a tired sigh. It had been a busy day at the hospital. Lindsey trudged into the office as well.

"I am beat and ready to go home," Lindsey said as she plopped herself into a chair.

Sara gave her a tired smile as she gathered her things. "Me too."

Lindsey looked at he friend. "Hey, sorry for giving you such a hard time earlier."

"It's okay; I know how you feel about Robert. And I guess I deserved the verbal beat down."

"Well, whatever you decide is your decision and I wish you good luck with it."

Sara smiled at her friend. "Thanks."

Lindsey smiled back and the two doctors got up to leave. As they walked down the hall, a couple of paramedics rushed by with a man on a stretcher. Sara's eyes widened in shock when she recognized who the man was.

"Andrew?"

"What?" Lindsey said, equally shocked.

"Wait! I need to see if he's all right!"

Both women turned at the sound of the voice. They saw Michael struggling with a nurse.

"Calm down sir, I need to take a look at you!" the nurse cried out.

"Let me go!" Michael was freaking out.

Sara rushed over to him and gently grabbed a hold of his arms. "Michael, Michael! Calm down!" Her voice took on a soft tone. "Calm down."

Michael stopped struggling. His eyes focused onto Sara. "Sara?"

"I think he's in shock," the rookie nurse said. "We need to look at his head injury."

Sara's eyes looked over Michael. She saw a gash on his forehead. It was bleeding quite a bit. "I'll take a look at it," she said to the nurse, "go see if the other doctors need help with the other man, please."

The nurse nodded and took off. Lindsey stepped up to Sara. "I'll go too."

"Okay, thanks Lindsey." Once Lindsey took off as well, Sara turned back to Michael. "Come on, let me take a look at your head," she said softly.

Sara sat him down and began cleaning his cuts. Michael became really quiet. His eyes had a distant look in them.

"It's going to be okay, Michael. Why don't you tell me what happened?" Sara said as she sutured the gash on his head.

Michael didn't look her in the eye. "We were driving...a truck hit us...Andrew..." His voice became shaky as he recalled what had just happened.

Sara placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. It seemed to calm him down a bit because he stopped shaking and Sara felt him relax.

"It's going to be okay Michael. I'm sure Andrew will be all right," Sara said reassuringly.

The two were quiet as Sara continued to tend to Michael's injuries. After awhile, Lindsey came back. Sara looked to her for an update on Andrew's condition.

She gave them a small smile. "His injuries aren't too serious. They say the worst he has is a broken leg and a sprained wrist. He lost a bit of blood, but they did a transfusion. Doctors say he'll be fine in a couple of days."

Sara breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you Lindsey."

Lindsey nodded then she motioned to the door. "I'm going to head home now."

Sara nodded. "Okay, bye Lindsey."

"Bye," she said. She cast a worried glance at Michael then waved to Sara before walking out of the room.

Sara faced Michael once again. He was looking down at his hands, completely silent. "Michael?" she called out to him.

He was still quiet.

"Michael, Andrew's going to be okay," she told him.

Still no response.

Sara grew worried. "Maybe I should take you home."

---

"The twenty-first floor, right?" Sara asked as she and Michael stepped onto the elevator.

Michael nodded almost robotically. Sara pressed the '21' button on the panel and the elevator doors closed. They rode the elevator in silence. Michael had not said one word since they left the hospital and Sara became more worried by the minute. Soon the elevator doors opened up and the two walked out and down the hallway. Michael stopped in front of a door that had the number '2101' on the front. He reached into his pocket shakily and pulled out his keys. Sara saw his hands shake so she gently reached over and took the keys from him.

"Here, let me do it," she said softly.

Sara unlocked his door and opened it. She led Michael inside his dark apartment. The Chicago city lights that shone in through the many windows were the only source of light for the pair. Sara looked around for a lamp. She found one on an end table next to a sofa. She led Michael over to the couch and he sat down as she turned the lamp on. Sara looked to Michael. He was still mostly unresponsive. Worry lines marred Sara's forehead.

"How about I get you a glass of water? Where is your kitchen?" Sara asked.

Michael only turned his head towards a small hallway. His eyes still had that faraway expression in them.

"Okay, you wait right here."

Sara got up and walked down the hallway. The wooden floor beneath her feat turned into tile as she entered the kitchen. She walked on over to the dish rack next to the sink and grabbed a tall glass. She filled it with water and quickly walked back to the living room where Michael still sat, unmoved.

"Here."

She handed him the cool glass and he silently took it form her, taking only two gentle sips. Sara sat down next to him on the couch as he placed the glass on his coffee table.

"Michael," Sara began softly, "please say something. Talk to me." His silence was unnerving her.

"It's all my fault," he said quietly.

"No," Sara said shaking her head, "no, Michael. It's not."

The guilt he was feeling over what happened to Andrew overwhelmed him. "I should have paid more attention. I should have..." he choked back on his words.

Sara wanted to cry for him. She placed her hand on his in an attempt to comfort him. Sara felt him relax into her touch.

"Sometimes accidents happen, Michael, and they're beyond our control. You can't blame yourself for what happened," Sara told him.

Michael looked down at her hand on his. He then raised his head up so his eyes would meet hers. Looking into her beautiful clear eyes, he felt all of his fears and guilt, all of the negative things inside of him at the moment, be washed away. Sara gave him a small smile. She squeezed his hand.

"I'm just glad that you and Andrew are alive," she said.

Michael found himself smiling back at her. He was glad that he was alive too.

---

The autumn morning sun was barely rising when Michael woke up in his bed. He rubbed his hand over his face and felt a small bandage on his forehead. Memories of what happened last night came back to him: how he and Andrew went out drinking, the car accident, the hospital, and how Sara brought him home.

_Sara._

Michael looked up. He vaguely remembered Sara helping him into bed like he was a little child. Was it just a dream? Was she still here? There was only one way to find out. Michael lifted his bed covers from his body and swung his legs over the edge of his bed. He headed towards his living room.

There, on his couch, was Sara fast asleep. Michael couldn't help but smile. One of her arms was hanging off the sofa haphazardly, like she was just a little kid. She looked cute sleeping like that. Michael quietly knelt down beside the couch and softly propped her arm back onto the cushions. Sara stirred and Michael froze, but she kept on sleeping peacefully. Michael smiled again. A piece of red hair had fallen into her face, just like the first time he had watched Sara sleep. And just like the first time, he felt the urge to tuck it behind her ear. So he did. His fingers softly grazed her forehead, pushing the red locks from her face to behind her ear. Sara turned her face into his touch so that his hand was gently resting on her cheek. She nuzzled his palm, seeking its warmth.

Then her eyes blinked open. Michael slowly removed his hand from her face in embarrassment. "Hi, and uh, sorry," he said to her.

"Michael...hi," Sara said shyly, her cheeks flushing a bit. She sat up on the couch.

"You spent the night," he stated.

"Yeah, I was worried about you. You were kind of out of it last night. How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Better, thank you."

Sara smiled and nodded. "Good, and you're welcome." She then reached out with her hand to touch the bandage on his head. "I still want to take you back to the hospital though and check your head once more."

Michael caught her hand before she could touch him. "I'm fine, but I want to see Andrew."

"Of course."

The two of them looked down at Sara's hand in Michael's. They then looked back up, their eyes locking with each other. Michael let go of her hand.

"Sorry," he said awkwardly, looking down.

"It's okay," Sara said with the same amount of awkwardness.

Michael cleared his throat. "We should probably tell Lily about the accident."

"Yes, we should. We'll do that when we get to the hospital and check on Andrew's condition, okay?"

Michael nodded.

---

Lindsey walked up to the main desk near the hospital entrance. She asked the girl behind it for the paperwork she needed.

"Lindsey!"

Lindsey turned around to see Sara and Michael walk up to her. "Hey."

"Hey, have you checked on Andrew yet?" Sara asked.

Lindsey nodded. "He's fine. He's just sleeping right now. He'll probably wake up either tonight or tomorrow."

Both Michael and Sara released a sigh of relief. Lindsey smiled at the two of them. "Here." She handed Sara a file. "I figured you would want to be the one to handle his case, so I got Dr. Reilly to hand it over to you."

"Thank you Lindsey," Sara said with a smile.

"No problem," Lindsey said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to start on my rounds."

"Okay, see you," Sara said.

Lindsey gave them both a slight wave and she took off down a hall. Sara turned to Michael.

"Let's go."

---

Both Michael and Sara entered Andrew's hospital room quietly. He lay asleep on the bed with is right leg, which was in a cast, propped up. They saw that his wrist was also in a cast. Sara walked over and checked his vitals. He was in good condition, just like Lindsey said. Michael pulled up a chair next to his bed and sat in it.

"I think we should call Lily now," Sara said.

Michael nodded and pulled out his cell phone. It rang a couple of times before she finally picked up. "Lily?"

"Hey Michael, I was just about to head over to work. What's up?"

"Lily," Michael took a deep breath, "Andrew and I were in a car accident last night."

"What? Are you guys all right?" Her voice was laced with worry.

"Yes, we're both at the hospital right now."

"Let me talk to Andrew," Lily demanded.

"He can't..."

"Is he okay?" Michael heard a slight quiver in Lily's voice.

"He's asleep."

"I'm coming right over."

_Click._

Michael flipped his phone closed. Sara turned to face him.

"Is she coming?" she asked.

Michael nodded. "Yeah." He looked at Andrew's slumbering form. "I wonder how she'll react when she sees him like this."

The two of them waited in silence for Lily to come. Sara kept on checking on Andrew's condition, looking over his file and whatnot while Michael sat by his bedside. Soon enough, Lily came in through the door.

She took one look at Andrew on the bed and her eyes began to well up with tears. Michael stood up from his chair and led Lily to it. She sat down and took Andrew's hand in hers. Lily bit her bottom lip to keep it from quivering and she reached out with her other hand to caress Andrew's face. The tears began to fall.

Michael came up from behind his friend and placed a comforting hand on her back.

"He's okay Lily," Sara told her, "He'll wake up soon."

"Yeah and he'll probably joke about the whole thing once he does," Michael said.

A small laugh came through Lily's tears and she nodded. A knock was heard at the door. All three of them looked up to see a nurse in the doorway.

"Dr. Tancredi, they need you down in 4B," the nurse said.

"Okay," she looked to Michael and Lily. They acknowledged that she was leaving. She then left with the nurse.

Lily turned to Michael. "How about you? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Sara took care of me last night," he said with a slight smile.

Lily raised an eyebrow at him. "She took care of you? What do you mean by that?"

Michael looked down, a little embarrassed. "She took me home and then, uh, spent the night."

Lily looked at him with a funny and surprised expression on her face.

"Nothing happened! She just fell asleep on my couch."

Lily smiled lightly. "There might be hope for you just yet."

---

The next day Sara was back in Andrew's hospital room, checking up on him again. He was still asleep or at least she thought he was. She heard him stir and turned around to see him open his eyes. She smiled.

"Hey, welcome back. How are you feeling?" she asked him.

"Like I've been hit by a truck," he simply said.

"Funny, because that's what happened."

Andrew chuckled lightly, not letting what happened bring him down. "Is Michael okay?" he asked, his face taking on a more serious tone.

"Yes, he's fine. He only had a few scratches here and there."

Andrew looked down at his cast. "Lucky bastard," he mumbled lightly.

Sara chuckled a bit. "Lily stopped by yesterday."

Andrew's face perked up at the mention of Lily's name. "She did?"

Sara nodded. "Yes. When she saw you she just about burst into tears."

Andrew's eyes widened. "Really?"

Sara nodded once again. "You sound surprised."

Andrew looked down shyly. "It's just that, Lily's not the type to cry. I've only seen her cry once and I didn't like it."

Sara smiled knowingly. "She cares about you."

A small smile appeared on Andrew's lips. Sara went on.

"How do you feel about her?" she asked him.

Andrew looked up at her and then back down. He was quiet for a moment. He then smiled. "I love her," he said softly.

Sara smiled at him, but then looked up, noticing another presence in the room. Andrew looked up at her and then followed her line of sight to see Lily standing in the doorway.

"Lily..." Andrew said quietly.

"Did you mean what you said just now?" she asked him.

Lily's eyes were locked with his, searching for the truth. Andrew was quiet at first. His face then softened. "Yes, every word. I love you, Lily."

Lily's mouth hung slightly agape. Then she smiled and tears of joy brimmed her eyelids. Sara smiled at the couple.

"Um," Sara said slowly. The two looked at her, just realizing that she was still in the room with them. "I'll leave the two of you alone." She gave them a small smile and walked out, closing the door behind her.

Sara walked down the long white hospital hall, smiling to herself. She was happy for Lily and Andrew. She didn't have many patients today, so she decided to make a stop at the hospital cafeteria for some ice cream.

"Sara!"

The red head looked up to see Michael walk up to her. She smiled. "Hi Michael."

"Hey, did you just come from checking on Andrew?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah. Actually, he just woke up."

"He did?"

"Yes. Lily's with him right now." Sara smiled. "I wouldn't bother them at the moment though. They're kind of having a moment."

"Oh?" Then realization hit him. "Oh..." Michael grinned. "Finally."

Sara giggled. "I was just about to head down to the cafeteria, want to join me?"

"Sure."

The two of them stepped onto the hospital elevator and rode it down.

"So," Sara began, making small talk, "have the police talked to you about the accident?"

"Yes, it turns out that the other driver was drunk as a bat. He had a few DUI's already, so he's serving jail time," Michael said leaning against the back railing of the elevator.

"So you and Andrew aren't in any trouble?"

"Nope."

Sara smiled. "Good."

The elevator doors opened and the two of them stepped off.

"So is the food here any good?" Michael asked her.

"Yeah, but it gets boring after eating the same thing repeatedly. But at least there's ice cream, and you can never get tired of that!" she said with a smile.

"What kinds?"

"All kinds," Sara said as she walked on over to the freezer.

"Do they have cookie dough?" Michael asked.

"Yeah." Sara smiled. "You like cookie dough ice cream?"

Michael couldn't help but smile back. "I love cookie dough ice cream."

Sara's smile grew. She pulled two small cartons of cookie dough ice cream out of the freezer. "Me too."

Michael chuckled. The two of them paid for the ice cream and sat down at an empty table. They ate their ice cream in silence until Sara spoke up.

"Michael?"

Michael looked up. "Yes?"

Sara looked down at her ice cream. "About that night... when we were supposed to have dinner together..." Sara looked up. "What happened?"

Michael looked away. "Sara..."

"Please Michael, I want to know," Sara pleaded.

Michael let out a sigh. "My brother called me about an hour before. He was drunk and he needed me to come pick him up. But when I got to the bar, he was in the middle of a fight and I got caught up in it."

Sara watched him intently as he told her his story.

"The cops came and they arrested us all. I spent the night in a holding cell," Michael paused and looked down. "I tried to get a hold of you, but..."

Sara looked down, feeling ashamed. "Michael... I'm so sorry."

Michael smiled weakly at her. "It's okay Sara."

Sara looked at him abruptly and shook her head. "No, it's not..."

"I thought we agreed that we would put that behind us."

Sara looked back down. "I know, it's just..."

Michael shook his head. "It's in the past. Let's move on."

Sara raised here head. She nodded and went back to eating her ice cream. Michael watched her as she ate.

"Hey." Sara looked up at the sound of his voice with her spoon in her mouth.

"You save the cookie dough for last," Michael stated as he pointed at the bits of cookie dough pushed aside in her cup.

Sara removed the spoon from her mouth. "Yeah, so?"

Michael smiled at her and showed her his tub of ice cream. "I do that too."

Sara looked into his container and saw the cookie dough pushed to the side just like hers. She couldn't help but smile and laugh. It was such a silly thing to laugh at, but it broke the ice between them. It was amazing how Michael can manage to get her to smile, especially since she didn't deserve it.

"We should probably check on Andrew and Lily, don't you think?" Michael asked.

Sara smiled and nodded. "Yeah."

They finished their cookie dough off and rode the elevator back up to Andrew's room. Sara walked up to the closed door and peeked in through the little window. Her lips curled into a grin. She motioned Michael to come over.

"Michael, look!"

Michael stood behind her and looked over her shoulder to see through the window. He smiled at what he saw. Inside, Lily and Andrew were in a tight lip lock, kissing each other passionately.

"I think we should give them a moment longer," Sara said, smiling.

Michael chuckled, agreeing. The two of them turned to face each other. They finally noticed the close proximity they were in. Their faces were only a mere two inches away from each other. Sara could feel Michael's warm breath on her lips. She took a nervous intake of breath.

Michael cleared his throat and took a step backwards, mumbling a "Sorry."

Sara blushed and looked down in embarrassment. "It's okay."

The two of them looked back up at each other and smiled lightly.

"Sara!"

Sara turned to see Lindsey walk up to her.

"Um, Robert's on the phone for you," she said to her.

Sara glanced back at Michael and saw him look down at his feet at the mention of Robert's name. She turned back to Lindsey.

"Can you tell him that I'm with a patient?" Sara asked of her friend.

Lindsey glanced from her to Michael and then back to Sara. "Okay."

"Thanks," Sara said.

Lindsey smiled and turned on her heels and left.

Michael took a step towards Sara. "You just lied to your boyfriend." The word 'boyfriend' came out a little forced.

Sara shook her head. "No I didn't. I still need to take a look at your head. I didn't get a chance to yesterday." She offered him a smile. "Come on, I'll give you a lolly pop afterwards."

Michael couldn't help but chuckle at that as he followed Sara into one of the exam rooms.


	8. Sentiments and Memories

**A/N:** Here's the next chapter! It focuses mostly on Sara and her past, but nevertheless, I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

A couch cushion flew through the air until it hit the back wall of Sara's apartment.

"Where is it?" Sara grunted with frustration as she searched the depths of her sofa.

Seeing that she wouldn't find what she was looking for in her couch she moved on to look underneath her coffee table. Piles of hospital paperwork from the other day lay beneath it. Sara had stayed up late one night on the couch working on it. Then in an attempt to keep her apartment at least looking tidy she just shoved them underneath the table, out of view. Sara pushed aside a pile.

_Knock. Knock._

Sara lifted her head up only to bump it on the bottom of her coffee table. "Ow!" she cried out.

She crawled out from beneath her table and stood up. Her apartment was in complete disarray. Couch cushions and pillows were strewn around her floor. The books on her shelves were toppled over. Sara grimaced at the mess.

_Knock. Knock._

"I'm coming!" Sara called out to whoever was knocking. She stepped over a couple of pillows and headed towards her front door.

Robert was waiting just behind it. He smiled at her. "Hi."

"Hey," Sara said tiredly.

He held up a plastic bag. "I bought Chinese takeout. Have you eaten dinner yet?"

Sara shook her head. She stepped aside to let him in. "Come in."

Robert planted a quick kiss on her cheek and walked in. He took a step into her living room and saw the mess it was in. "Were you robbed?"

Sara slightly chuckled. "No, I was, uh, looking for something."

"What were you looking for?" Robert asked as he set the food on her dinning table.

Sara sat down in one of her chairs and let out a long tired sigh. "My bracelet."

"Your bracelet?"

"Yeah, you know the silver one."

"You had a silver bracelet?"

Sara stared at him in disbelief. "How could you not notice it? I've only been wearing it since college!"

Robert turned to face her. "I don't usually notice small things like that."

Sara looked down at her lap. It wasn't a small thing to her. "It used to be my mother's," she whispered softly.

Robert looked at Sara as he sat down in the chair next to her. "Sara, I'm sorry."

"It was the only thing that I had of hers."

"You mean besides her looks and personality?"

Sara looked up at him, wondering how he knew that since her mother died long before they first started dating.

He answered her silent question. "You're father told me about her once. He said you were the spitting image of her in both appearance and wit."

Sara looked down at her food. She wasn't sure if that was an insult or not coming from her father. While she loved her mother with her whole heart, she didn't want to be like her, nevertheless end up like her.

"Speaking of your father," Robert continued on, not noticing Sara's distress, "I talked to him today."

Sara looked up. "You did?"

"Yes, he wants to have dinner with the two of us tomorrow night," Robert told her.

"What?" Sara said, her eyes widening in horror. "Why?"

Robert shrugged. "I'm not sure, but what do you say?"

"I'd rather pass."

"Sara, he's your father!"

"So?"

"Show him a little respect. Besides, I think it would be nice to have dinner with him again," Robert said as he stuck some teriyaki chicken in his mouth.

Sara sighed. "Fine." She then finished off her chow mein noodles, sulking in silence.

---

_Knock. Knock. _

Michael looked up from his mug of coffee. The morning sun was shining through his kitchen window. He set his cup down on the counter to go answer his door. He was surprised to see the man behind it.

"Lincoln...what are you doing here?" Michael asked.

"Uh, I heard you were in an accident. I wanted to see if you were all right," Lincoln said sheepishly.

Michael stuck his hands in his pockets. "I'm fine," he said stoically. He still hadn't forgiven his older brother for getting him thrown in jail and for causing him to lose Sara.

"You sure?" Lincoln asked, noticing the small bandage on his head. "What about your friend? What's his name? Andrew?"

"Andrew's fine."

"Good," Lincoln said, nodding his head. An awkward silence came between them.

"Is there something else you want?" Michael questioned.

Lincoln took a deep breath, his chest pumping up a bit. When he released the breath it went back to normal. "Uh yeah." He paused and then bit his bottom lip. "About that night... when I got drunk and called you..."

Michael stared at his brother with steely eyes.

Lincoln went on. "I messed up something for you that night didn't I?" he asked.

Michael sighed. "Look Linc, I'm really busy. You should go."

Guilt washed over Lincoln's face in a thousand waves. "Michael..."

Michael narrowed his eyes. "What do you want me to say Linc? Yes you did, you messed up something very important to me that night. In fact, you messed up a lot of things in my life. You happy now?"

Lincoln looked down in shame. "No," he mumbled.

"Just leave, Lincoln."

Without looking at his younger brother, Lincoln turned around. "I'm sorry Michael." And with that he walked out.

Michael shut the door behind him. He returned back to his kitchen and picked up his coffee mug. He finished his drink off in silence. As he placed the empty cup in his sink, he decided he would go visit Andrew at the hospital.

---

"You're having dinner with your dad?" Lindsey asked.

She and Sara were sitting at a table in the hospital cafeteria on their break.

"Yup," Sara said.

"You sound so excited," Lindsey said sarcastically.

"Oh yeah, I'm overjoyed at the idea of having dinner with him," Sara said with equal sarcasm, if not more.

"You know the only reason he wants to have dinner with you is because you're back with Robert, right?" Lindsey asked as she finished off her water bottle.

"The thought crossed my mind," Sara said sighing.

Lindsey stared at her friend. "You should just run."

Sara laughed and nodded. Running sounded like a good idea but she would still have to face her father eventually.

"I can pretty much summarize all that he's going to say to you," Lindsey huffed up her chest in imitation of Sara's father, "Sara, I'm so glad you're back with Robert. Now marry him and become the picture perfect politician's wife."

Sara chuckled a little then she looked down. "You're right. That's probably what he'll tell me."

"Yeah," Lindsey said, returning back to her regular voice. "From what you told me he was pretty pissed when you broke up with Robert in the first place."

"Oh yeah, big time," Sara said recalling the shouting matches she and her father had after that.

"Why'd you break up with Robert in the first place? You never told me why," Lindsey said. "I mean, I know all the small little reasons, but I don't know the big reason."

"What makes you think there's a big reason?" Sara asked.

"There's always a big reason. Come on, tell me," Lindsey urged.

Sara looked down at her hands and saw her bare wrist. She still hasn't found her silver bracelet yet. She sighed. "Well..."

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

"Damn it," Lindsey mumbled, pulling her pager off her belt. "Looks like you're going to have to tell me later. I have to go."

Sara nodded. "Okay, see you later Lindsey."

"Bye."

Lindsey stood up and then left Sara alone at the table with her thoughts. She sighed once again. The day she broke up with Robert was coming back to her.

_--Flashback-- _

_Sara walked through the big doorway of a huge office building. The secretary behind one of the desks smiled at the sight of her. _

"_Sara!"_

_The red head turned and smiled at the girl. "Hey Rachel."_

"_Mr. Spencer's in the middle of a call at the moment. He should be done in a little while," Rachel said._

_Sara nodded. "Okay, I'll wait." She sat herself in one of the nearby chairs._

_Just around the corner behind Sara were two men talking. Sara didn't pay much attention until they mentioned Robert's name. She became curious and listened in._

"_What?" the first guy asked._

"_It's true. Robert plans on asking that Tancredi girl to marry him," the second guy said._

_Sara's eyes became wide with shock and surprise. Her mouth just about dropped to the floor. Marriage? She wasn't ready for that!_

"_When is he going to pop the question?" the first guy asked._

"_I think today."_

_Sara began to hyperventilate. Today?_

"_Today?" the first guy repeated her thoughts. "Wow, Frank Tancredi must be ecstatic about all this."_

"_I bet," the second guy said chuckling. "I mean, if he wasn't so in love with Eileen he'd probably marry Robert himself!"_

_The first guy laughed with him. "Yeah, he sure really does like that guy."_

"_I think it's because he reminds him of himself back in the day, you know?"_

_The first guy agreed with the second guy. "Yeah, Robert really is the younger version of Frank."_

"_And Sara's practically the younger version of her mother. Do you remember her?" the second guy asked._

_The first guy nodded. "Really tragic what happened to her. Let's hope the same thing doesn't happen to Robert and Sara."_

The two men then left, probably to go grab lunch, leaving Sara to digest all that she had overheard. She swallowed hard and shut her eyes tightly. Robert was just like her father and she was just like her mother. And Robert was going to ask her to marry him. Those thoughts scared her like hell.

_Things between her mother and father weren't so well, especially after he rose up in power in the political world. He was never there. He canceled dinner dates and family outings in order to work and wine and dine rich men into supporting his campaign. It upset her mother a great deal. So she found comfort in a bottle of alcohol and a glass that never seemed to empty when she drank from it._

_Sara recalled many nights where there was shouting. Lots and lots of shouting. Then there was that one fateful night. Lying in her bed in the room she shared with her older sister, Rose, she heard the shouting one final time. Then the sound of glass breaking and a slam of a door. She had just pulled her blanket over her head when she heard the sound of tires screeching._

"_Sara?"_

_The sound of Robert's voice brought her back from her little dark reverie. Sara opened her eyes to see him standing in front of her._

"_Are you okay?" he asked her._

_Sara cleared her throat and regained her composure. "Uh yeah, yeah I'm fine." She gave him a weak smile. _

"_Okay," Robert said, "You ready to go?"_

_Sara nodded. "Yes."_

_The two of them went out to lunch and all during it, Sara could not stop thinking about how her mother and father turned out, how she and Robert could turn out if the two of them got married. Sara looked down at her wrist and saw the silver bracelet that used to belong to her mother. She loved her mother, but she didn't want to end up like her._

"_Is something wrong Sara?" Robert asked her._

"_No," Sara said quickly, shaking her head, "no, nothing's wrong." She gave him a fake smile._

"_Okay," Robert said, completely oblivious to Sara's discomfort._

_The two of them finished off their lunch and went for a walk through the city park. Robert held Sara's hand in his with his fingers laced with hers, but Sara didn't return the intimate gesture. Her hand hung limp in his grip._

"_Sara," Robert began, "there's something I've been meaning to ask you..."_

_Sara froze. She knew what he was going to ask her. A thousand thoughts and questions ran through her mind at that single moment. Would Robert turn out to be just like her father? He was canceling a lot of their dates lately. Would she turn out to be just like her mother? People always talked about how she looked and acted just like her. Would their relationship turn out the way her mother and father's did? It already seemed like it was headed that way. Would she face the same tragic fate that her mother did? Did she love Robert enough to marry him and risk following in her mother's footprints?_

_Robert turned to face her and opened his mouth to speak but Sara interrupted him._

"_Robert," Sara said as she looked down at her feet, "before you say anything, I need to tell you something."_

"_What is it?"_

_Sara took a big deep breath and let it out slowly before looking back up into his eyes. "I don't think this relationship is going to work out."_

"_What?" Robert's face turned into one of complete confusion._

"_I don't think we should be together. We're not right for each other."_

"_Sara, I don't understand," Robert said, squeezing Sara's hand in his._

_Sara pulled her palm from his grip. "I'm sorry." She then turned and ran._

"_Sara!" Robert called after her._

_The answer to Sara's last question was no, she really didn't._

_--End of Flashback-- _

Sara sighed. After she broke up with Robert, she had a huge fallout with her father. He didn't talk to her at all for weeks after that. She wondered what tonight's dinner would be like. Sara sighed again and finished off her bottle of water. She stood up from the cafeteria table and headed out.

---

Michael sighed as he walked down the white hallway of the hospital. Seeing Linc first thing in the morning wasn't his idea of a good start to the day. He could only hope that it would get better as the day went along.

Michael stopped in front of Andrew's room. He placed his hand on the doorknob and turned it only to find Andrew and Lily in the middle of a hardcore make out session.

"Whoa!" Michael said, shielding his eyes with his arm, "Sorry!" He then stepped back out into the hallway, closing the door behind him.

"Are they at it again?"

Michael looked up to see Sara standing before him. He smiled at her. "Uh, yeah."

Sara shook her head and laughed. "Every time I go in there, they're always making out."

Michael chuckled along with her. The two of them smiled at each other but then turned at the sound of the door opening. Lily peeked her head out. Her face was flushed scarlet and her lips were a bit swollen, but she wore a happy, yet embarrassed, smile on her face.

"Hey guys, you can come in now."

Michael and Sara laughed softly as they followed Lily inside. Andrew sat on the hospital bed with an impish grin on his face. Lily went to his side and slid her hand into his. He then pulled her into another kiss.

"Have you no shame Andrew?" Michael asked with a smile.

Andrew grinned. "Nope."

Sara laughed. "I'm afraid one of these days I'm going to walk in here on the two of you naked."

Andrew's grin turned into a mischievous smirk. "Well I guess it's good that you weren't here thirty minutes ago."

Lily blushed madly and then smacked the back of her boyfriend's head, while both Michael and Sara raised their eyebrows at them.

"Ow!" Andrew cried out.

"We did no such thing Sara, don't worry," Lily said still blushing while Andrew rubbed the back of his head.

Sara giggled while Michael just shook his head, smiling. Sara then went on to check Andrew's condition.

"Well, you seem to be healing up fine so I don't see any reason for us to keep you here any longer. There are just some papers to sign and final procedures to go through before we can discharge you," Sara said.

Michael's lips curled into a teasing grin. "Then the two of you can do whatever you want, behind locked doors."

Lily turned an even darker shade of crimson while everyone laughed. She then looked down at the small leather watch on her wrist.

"Damn, I have to head back to work," Lily said. She then looked at both Andrew and Michael. "You know, it really isn't the same at the office without you two."

"Well, I'm coming back tomorrow," Michael said.

"Thank God!" Lily said. "Running the project by myself has been sheer torture!"

Both Michael and Andrew chuckled while Sara looked on, smiling.

"Well, I should be going." Lily reached over and kissed Andrew once more. "Bye!"

"Bye," Andrew said with a longing smile.

Michael and Sara said their goodbyes as well and Lily left the room. Then Sara's pager went off.

"Looks like I have to go too," she said. "I'll see you guys later."

"Okay," Andrew said.

"Bye Sara," Michael said.

Sara smiled at him and then walked out of the room. Michael gave her retreating form a longing look. Andrew just shook his head.

"You know," he began as Michael turned back to face him, "you need to either steal Sara away from her boyfriend or find yourself a new girl because I don't think I can take any more of your brooding."

Michael looked down as he said those words. He began to tap his fingers against his knees, wanting to avoid the subject his friend was about to get into. But Andrew wasn't going to let him off easily.

"Does your brother know what he cost you that night?" Andrew asked his friend. "It is his fault after all."

Michael shook his head. "He knows he ruined something for me, but he doesn't know exactly what." Michael let out a long breath. "He came by my place this morning actually."

"Really? What did you do?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?" Andrew repeated with disbelief. "You didn't even lash out at him or anything?"

Michael shook his head. "Why should I? It's not like it will fix anything."

"Yeah, but still," Andrew said. "He deserves at least one angry punch for making you lose Sara to that asshole. I'd do it for you except, 1) I'm crippled," he said looking down at his cast, "2) Your brother's like twice my size and 3) He would kick my ass."

Michael slightly grinned at that. "Anyone could kick your ass though, Andrew."

"Michael I'm being serious for once," Andrew said, "Lincoln needs to know what he did to you so he can get his act together and stop messing up your life!"

Michael looked down again and became silent. His eyes steeled over. Andrew shook his head at his friend. He hoped the powers that be would just give Michael a break already and let him be happy for once.

---

Sara sighed as she zipped up her dress and stared at her reflection in her mirror. It was evening now and soon enough she would be off having dinner with Robert and her father. It bothered her how her father was always too busy to spend quality time with her when it was just the two of them, but when Robert was involved, his busy schedule somehow managed to disappear. Sara sighed once again but then looked up at the sound of a knock at her front door.

She exited her bedroom and walked to her door where Robert was waiting just on the other side. He smiled at the sight of her. Sara looked down at the item in his hands: a bouquet of flowers. Sara tried to keep the corners of her mouth from twitching. She forced a smile.

"Hi," she said.

"Hi," Robert said back. He handed her the flowers and kissed her cheek.

The two of them walked into her apartment. Sara went to fetch a vase for the flowers.

"You ready to go?" Robert asked her.

"Yeah," she said as she placed the bouquet in the vase. She then grabbed her purse off her coffee table and began heading to the front door.

"Hold on," Robert said.

Sara turned to face him with a quizzical look.

He smiled at her. "I have something else to give you." Robert reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a long velvet jewelry box. He proudly handed it to her. "Open it."

Sara tentatively opened it. A brand new silver bracelet stared straight up at her. It was the exact same brand and type as the one she had lost, the one that had belonged to her dead mother. Sara felt a piece of her heart break as she stared down at the bracelet. It was as if it had turned into a sword and sliced that piece of her heart off. She shut the box and handed it back to Robert. He frowned.

"You don't like it?" he asked.

Sara looked down. "I know you had good intentions, Robert..." She looked back up. "While it's a sweet gesture, it's not the same."

"What are you talking about? It is the same. I even asked your father about it and he pointed me to the people who made the first one. This is an exact replica." he tried to explain.

Sara shook her head at him. "But it's not the same," she said again. "It's not about the actual bracelet, Robert. It's about the sentimental value that the bracelet holds for me."

Robert looked at her with a confused look on his face. He just didn't get it. A guy like Robert could never understand the meaning of sentimental value. He never lost anyone important to him.

"I'm sorry Sara," he said to her.

Sara smiled weakly at him. "It's okay. You were just trying to make me feel better." But he only succeeded in making her feel worse. "Let's just go."

---

After visiting Andrew at the hospital, Michael needed to do something that would occupy his time and keep him from thinking about all his problems and issues. So he decided to clean his entire apartment. He figured since he was going back to work the next day, he wouldn't have the time to do it in the future. So he thought he could get done with it now.

He had just finished cleaning the last set of windows in his bedroom. He then walked out to his living room with a bottle of Windex in one hand and a roll of paper towels in the other. He set both items down on his coffee table, but the paper towels rolled off the table and underneath his couch.

Michael let out a small sigh of frustration and bent down to get it. He reached for it underneath his sofa but felt his fingertips brush against something else. He pulled out his arm to find a silver bracelet resting in his palm.

---

"I cannot express how happy I am to see the two of you together again," Frank Tancredi said as he sat across from his daughter and Robert.

Sara gave her father a small awkward smile and then looked down at her lap. Robert was just positively beaming. Frank went on.

"It kind of makes the two of you breaking up seem a bit ridiculous now, don't you think?" Sara looked up as her father focused his gaze on her. "Why did you break up anyway?"

Sara glanced from her father to Robert. It was the big unanswered question that only she knew the answer to. She looked down at her lap once again.

"Uh, I overheard some people talking," she began as she faced Robert, "they said you were going to propose to me." She looked down again. "I guess I got scared." It was the truth. Not the whole truth, but still the truth.

"Seems like a silly reason to break up with someone," her father told her. "Robert's a fine man and would make an excellent husband."

Sara avoided her father's gaze as he chastised her. Robert slipped his hand into hers and gave it a tight squeeze, but it didn't make her feel any better.

"It's okay Sara," Robert told her, "I didn't mean to scare you off like that. We'll do everything right this time. I won't make you do anything that you aren't ready for."

Sara nodded. She then glanced over at her father. He seemed disappointed that he wouldn't be hearing wedding bells in their near future. A waiter then came by and refilled their drinks: champagne for Robert and Frank, water for Sara. She was staying away from alcohol for the time being. After the waiter walked away, Robert and Frank fell into a conversation concerning work. Sara, not being one interested in politics, began to feel left out.

She stared down at her dinner and poked at her food with her fork as she drowned out their political jibber jabber. Suddenly her cell phone began to ring, turning the two men's attention back to her.

"Sara, that is very rude," her father admonished her.

Sara reached into her purse for her cell. "I know, sorry." She flipped her cell phone open and the caller ID said 'Michael.' She excused herself from the table and walked over to the small hallway where the restrooms were to answer the call.

"Michael?" she said into her phone.

"Hey Sara," Michael paused on the other end, "I was cleaning my apartment earlier and I think I found your bracelet."

Sara's eyes lit up. "You did? Is it silver?"

"Yeah," Michael said, "it must have slipped off your wrist or something when you stayed over that night."

Sara's heart leapt for joy at the news of her mother's bracelet being found. She smiled. "Oh my gosh, thank you so much for finding it Michael!"

Michael smiled into his phone. "No problem."

"Can I come by tomorrow morning to get it?" she asked.

"Sure, of course."

Sara smiled once again. "Thank you so much Michael."

"You're welcome. I'll hold onto it for you until tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay. Bye Michael."

"Bye Sara."

Sara flipped her cell phone shut. She turned around and was startled to see Robert right behind her. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Michael? You mean that guy that's attracted to you?" he asked. His eyes then narrowed. "Why are you talking to him?"

Sara looked up at him and saw a twinge of jealousy across his face. "I wasn't," she lied, not wanting to get into to how she spent the night at Michael's and ended up leaving her bracelet there. "I was, uh, talking to one of my patients."

Robert raised his eyebrow at her again. "A patient?"

"Yes," Sara said nervously. "He wanted to double check something with his medication."

"You call your patients by their first name?"

"If I get to know them well, yes."

"And you give them your cell phone number?"

"The paranoid ones," she said, "just to reassure them."

"That's not very professional of you," Robert told her.

"I know," Sara said, "let's just get back to dinner and my father."

"Your father just left."

"What?"

"Something came up," he told her.

"And he couldn't wait a couple minutes to say goodbye to me properly?" Sara scowled.

"Your father's a busy man, Sara," Robert said, defending the governor. "Don't be so hard on him."

Sara grew annoyed. "Fine, whatever!" She stalked off back to their table.

---

The rest of the evening was uncomfortable between Sara and Robert. The drive back to her apartment was filled with silence. So was the walk up to her front door. Sara walked into her home and Robert followed after her, shutting the door behind him.

"Sara," he began, "I'm sorry."

Sara turned around to face him. "For what?"

"For being suspicious and for making you angry."

Sara looked down, feeling a little guilty. "It's okay. I'm sorry for getting angry at you. You really didn't deserve it."

Robert smiled. He then closed the space between them and cupped the side of her face with his hand. "I forgive you."

He brought his lips down to hers. Sara then felt his hands move down her neck to her shoulders, and then circle their way to her back. She felt his fingertips clutch at the zipper of her dress. Sara tensed up when he began to tug down on the zipper. Suddenly Michael's face flashed through her mind. She pulled away from him.

"What is it?" Robert asked her, confusion growing on his face.

"It's just..." Sara began as she removed his hands from her body, "I'm not ready to do this again with you." She sighed. "Last time we were drunk and rushed into bed together without thinking. I want to slow things down a bit."

Disappointment flashed across his face, but he gave into her. Robert brought his hand back up to her cheek. "Okay. We'll take things slowly then." He kissed her lightly on the lips. "I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Sara nodded and Robert left her apartment. Sara walked to her bedroom and changed into her pajamas. She then fell onto her bed, exhausted, both physically and mentally.

---

The next morning, Michael was buttoning up his shirt when he heard a knock at his door. He walked over to his apartment entrance and found Sara waiting for him.

"Hi," she said with a small smile.

He smiled back. "Hi." He stepped aside. "Come in."

Sara smiled at him once again and stepped into his apartment with his invitation.

"I'll go get you your bracelet," he said to her.

Sara nodded and Michael disappeared off into one of his rooms. Sara walked over to one of the large windows of his apartment. She gasped at the beautiful view of the city. The Chicago River sparkled beneath the sun's light. Kind of like Michael's eyes.

"Here you go," Michael said, coming up behind her.

Sara turned around and took the bracelet from his hand. A small tingling feeling was left in her fingertips when they brushed against his palm. She slipped the bracelet back on her wrist. It felt wonderful to have it back where it belonged. She felt whole again. Sara smiled.

"That bracelet must be very special to you," Michael said, "You're always wearing it whenever I see you."

Sara looked up at him. "Yes, it is very special. It belonged to my birth mother."

"I see," Michael paused, "Is she..?"

Sara nodded. "She died when I was little."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

"How did she die, if you don't mind me asking?"

Sara looked down. "A car accident. She drank too much after an argument with my dad and then went out driving."

"I'm sorry," Michael said again.

She looked up, finding comfort in his eyes. "It's okay." She then looked down at her wrist and rubbed her thumb across the metal band wrapped around it. "This bracelet's one of the last few things I have of hers."

Michael looked at her and was reminded of his own mother. "You're very lucky." Sara looked back up at him. "When my mother died from cancer, my brother had to pawn off most of her things for money. I don't have anything of hers except for the memories and a few old photographs."

"I'm so sorry, Michael," Sara said.

"It's okay." He gave her a small smile. "It would be nice to have something of hers to remember her by, like you do, but just because I don't doesn't mean that I won't remember her."

Sara looked down at her bracelet once again. Its sentimental value increased in her heart after listening to Michael talk.

"Thank you so much for finding it," she said with a smile. "I'm forever grateful."

Michael smiled back at her. "Like I said, it wasn't a problem." He then looked down at his watch and inhaled sharply. "I have to get to work." He looked at Sara and bit his bottom lip. "Do you think you can give me a ride? My car is still in the shop from the accident," he asked bashfully.

Sara chuckled lightly. "Sure."

The two of them walked out of his apartment with lighthearted and friendly smiles on their faces.


	9. A Good Thing

A/N: Finally finished the next chapter! Yay! It's a long one, like Chapter 6: Friends. But unlike chapter 6 you guys won't strangle me at the end. At least I hope you won't. 

Again a thousand thanks go to my beta reader Jen for all her help! 

Enjoy!

* * *

"No! Don't do it!"

Andrew anxiously sat at the edge of his hospital bed watching the TV screen in the upper right corner of his room. On the screen was a dark haired vixen along with a dark haired man.

"Don't do it man, she's your half sister!" Andrew cried out to the fictitious TV character.

He watched in complete horror as the dark haired man closed off the gap between him and the woman and brought his lips down on hers. Andrew threw his hands up in the air and groaned. Suddenly the doorknob to his room began to turn. Andrew scrambled for the remote at his side but it slipped from his hands and clattered to the floor.

"Good morning," Sara said as she stepped inside.

She saw the remote control on the floor and reached down to pick it up. As she stood and handed the remote back to Andrew her head turned to the TV at the sound of small moaning.

Sara raised an eyebrow. "Are you watching a soap opera?" she asked as she turned to face him.

Andrew snatched the remote from her hand and quickly flipped the television off. He was turning red.

"No."

Sara smiled, trying to suppress a giggle. "Sure," she said sarcastically.

Andrew turned even redder. "Okay, fine. I was," he admitted, "but there's not much else to watch. This place has only like five channels."

Sara chuckled as she looked him over, doing her daily doctor routine. "Well most of our budget goes towards saving people's lives, not their entertainment wishes."

"What's the point in saving someone's life if they can't watch TV?"

Sara laughed again. "You're going to be leaving tonight anyway. Then you can watch whatever you want on your own TV. Soap opera or non-soap opera."

"Yeah," Andrew said, "I'm really happy to be finally getting out of this place. No offense, I like seeing you and Lindsey everyday, but I don't think I can stomach the Jell-O another day." Sara laughed at that. She knew what he meant. "You're coming tonight, right?"

Sara glanced at him as she continued his final check up. "To your 'Welcome home' party? Of course." She gave him a smile. "Both Lindsey and I will be there."

Andrew smiled back at her. "Great!" He then became quiet as Sara finished looking him over. It wasn't until Sara moved to mark notes in his file when he spoke up again, "Um Sara?"

"Yes?" Sara asked, not looking up from the paperwork.

"There's something I want to ask you about."

Sara tensed a little bit. "If it's about Mich-"

"It's not," Andrew interrupted her, "it's about me, actually."

Sara finally looked up at him. He looked flustered. If it's not about Michael, what could he want to ask her? And, was he beginning to blush?

Andrew played with the fabric of his hospital gown between his fingers. "Is it okay for me to... you know... in my condition?"

Sara raised a curious eyebrow at him, trying to figure out what he was talking about. "Excuse me?"

Andrew became even more flustered and his blush became a deeper shade of red. "You know, is it okay for me to _you know_ with my leg in a cast?"

Sara blinked at him, not understanding, but then it hit her. She fought the smile that threatened to break out on her face. She decided to toy with him a little bit.

"No, I don't know, Andrew," she told him, "you're going to have to be direct with me. I'm not a mind reader."

Andrew couldn't take it anymore. "SEX SARA! Is it okay for me to have sex!" he yelled out, his face completely scarlet.

Sara chuckled at his outburst. She was sure anyone out in the hall had heard him, maybe even the entire hospital did. Andrew huffed at the way she was using him for amusement. He then calmed himself down.

"Well?" he asked, impatiently waiting for her answer.

Sara looked down at his file trying to hide the grin on her face and keep the small giggle from escaping her throat. She was feeling mischievous at the moment and decided to do something a bit evil. Sara feigned looking at his file, checking his condition, and then looked back up at him with the most serious face she could muster up in that moment.

"Actually Andrew," Sara began, "having sexual intercourse in your condition could very well cause severe complications ranging from paralysis from the waist down and in the worst case scenario even death." She added the last part for a more dramatic effect.

Andrew's eyes widened in horror and the color was completely drained from his face. Sara couldn't hold back her laughter any longer. It took only a moment for Andrew to realize that Sara was only joking.

"That was mean," he said, pouting, "you're as mean as the evil doctors in the soap operas."

"Sorry Andrew," Sara said stifling her giggles, "but the look on your face was priceless!"

---

"You're in a good mood today," Michael pointed out as he and Lily walked up to the hospital entrance.

Lily beamed. "How can I not be? Andrew's finally getting out of the hospital."

"And away from the peering eyes of doctors and nurses," Michael teased.

Lily slightly blushed as the two of them went through the automatic doors of the hospital. Michael chuckled as they walked down the hall, heading up to Andrew's room. It was their lunch break from work and they were going to spend it with him. The pair rounded a corner only for Michael to collide rather hard into someone.

"Oof!" the petite figure said as she lost her balance while papers scattered down in a shuffle to the floor.

Michael recovered and recognized who he had bumped into. "Sara!" he said. He saw her stumble and quickly grabbed her wrist with a gentle but firm grip to keep her from falling to the ground. "I got you!"

"Thanks," Sara breathed out, looking up into his eyes.

"You're welcome," he said.

Sara smiled at him then stooped down to pick up the spilt papers. Michael and Lily bent down to help her. At the same moment, Michael and Sara reached for the same paper. Their hands brushed together in the gentlest of touches, sending warm tingling sensations up their arms. Sara was the first to withdraw her hand.

"Sorry," she said.

Michael shook his head and picked up the piece of paper. He held it out to her along with the other papers he picked up. "It's okay."

The two of them smiled at each other. Lily shook her head at the pair. She wondered if the two of them realized that they were acting like a couple of middle school kids with crushes on each other. The three of them gathered the rest of the papers and then stood up.

"Sara!"

The doctor looked past Michael and her eyes became wide with surprise. "Robert? What are you doing here?" she asked him as he strode up to her.

"I had a free hour in my schedule, so I thought we could have lunch together," Robert said with a smile at her. He then noticed the company that Sara was in. The smile faded and his eyes narrowed in recognition at Michael. He may have only seen him that brief minute at Sara's doorway that morning after, but how could he forget the 'other' man?

Michael watched Robert as he silently jumped to conclusions. His eyes steeled over as he calmly took in Robert's small glare. "It's not what you think."

"Really?" Robert asked, taking a step towards him.

Sara stepped in between the two men and placed her hand on Robert's arm, stopping him in his tracks. "Robert, Michael's here to visit a friend. He and his friend were in a car accident a few days ago. His friend broke his leg in the crash."

"My boyfriend, actually," Lily chimed in.

Robert glanced at the blonde woman next to Michael, noticing her for the first time. "He's your boyfriend?"

Lily looked at Michael. "Michael? Of course not! Andrew's my boyfriend!"

"The guy with the broken leg," Michael explained.

"I see," Robert said with a twinge of disappointment, "my mistake." He then straightened himself out to stand tall before them and extended his hand. "Allow me to properly introduce myself then. Robert Spencer."

Lily tentatively shook his hand. "Lillian Hart."

Robert then moved towards Michael. Michael stared down at Robert's extended hand and then looked up at him. Robert's eyes were just daring him to shake it. The two women in their vicinity could clearly see the hostile tension between them.

"Michael Scofield." And with that Michael shook Robert's hand.

Once the two men separated from each other, Sara spoke up. "I'm sorry Robert why did you say you were here again?"

"I was hoping to take you out to lunch," he repeated, turning to her.

"That's very sweet, but I'm swamped with patients and paperwork today."

"Oh. Then how about dinner later?" he asked, not giving up.

"I can't..." Sara choked out, glancing over at Lily and Michael. Robert followed her glance.

"She has plans with us," Lily spoke up, "we're having a 'welcome home' party for Andrew. He's leaving the hospital today."

"Oh." Robert turned back to Sara. "You could have just told me."

"Sorry," Sara said sheepishly.

Robert faced Lily again. "Do you have an extra plate?"

Lily blinked. "Wait, you want to come?"

"Sure," Robert said putting on a smile. "You guys are Sara's friends. I think it's time I got to know you all a little better," he slipped his arm around Sara's shoulders, "seeing as we're in a relationship."

Sara shifted uncomfortably in his hold. She knew that Robert was trying to irk Michael, sending him not so subtle signals that Sara was with him. And Michael knew it too. His hands involuntarily twitched when Robert had placed his arm around Sara's lab coat covered shoulders, but the blue steel gaze remained.

"Well I guess..." Lily said awkwardly.

"Great!" Robert said quickly, not giving Lily a chance to change her mind about the invitation. "I will see you all later tonight."

He then turned to Sara and cupped her face, bringing his lips down onto hers in a forceful kiss. Sara was caught off guard by the kiss and flinched at first. Lily looked at Michael and saw his hands unconsciously clench into fists. He then stuck them in his pockets. When Robert finally broke away from Sara's lips he quickly threw Michael a smug grin, said "Goodbye," and walked off.

Sara turned to both Lily and Michael. "I'm sorry about that you guys. If you don't want him there then we won't show up."

Lily shook her head. "No Sara, we want you there. Besides, I kinda want to get to know him better and form my own opinion of him."

Sara nodded slowly and then looked towards Michael. He was avoiding her gaze. She knew that he was just as uncomfortable about all this as she was, maybe even more so. "I should get back to work," she said.

"Okay, we'll see you later then," Lily told her.

Sara nodded. "Bye."

She walked down one hall while Michael and Lily went down another. Lily glanced at Michael with concerned eyes.

"You okay Mike?" she asked him.

"I'm fine," he said with a forced impassiveness.

Lily flinched at his stoic tone. That usually meant he was upset. "Listen, you can't let Robert get under your skin like this."

"Who said he is?"

Michael sped up his pace as they headed towards Andrew's room. Lily had to lengthen her strides to keep up with him. As they entered Andrew greeted them both with a grin, but immediately saw something was up.

"What's wrong?"

Lily sighed. "Guess who's coming to your party."

"Angelina Jolie?"

"Robert," Lily stated.

"WHAT?" Andrew screeched, "How the hell did that happen?"

"We ran into him downstairs and he kind of, uh, invited himself," Lily stammered lamely.

"Why didn't you tell him no?"

"Sara was right there! What was I suppose to say?" Lily asked, her voice rising in volume.

"Oh I don't know; maybe 'Sorry Sara but we don't want your asshole boyfriend at the party tonight' would have done the trick, don't you think?" Andrew said, his voice also becoming louder.

"Guys!"

The sound of Michael's shout caused both Lily and Andrew to turn towards him. In the heat of their argument they forgot the reason why the whole thing bothered them. It was because of how the whole thing would affect Michael.

"It's okay," Michael said, "I'm all right with it."

Lily softened the features on her face. "Michael..."

Andrew wasn't the same. "That's a load of bull! It's not okay and you are not all right with it!"

"Even so, I want to get to know the guy, see if he's..." Michael trailed off.

"Better than you and right for Sara?" Andrew said, taking the words right out of his mouth. Michael nodded. "He's not you know."

"How do you know that?"

"First of all, I'm a hundred percent sure that you're a better man than he is. Second of all, the way Lindsey talks about him he sounds like a jerk. And third of all... uh..." Andrew paused. "Okay, I don't have a third reason but I do know the bastard's not right for her and you are."

Michael looked away from his friend. He didn't want to talk about it anymore. Lily grabbed her boyfriend's shoulder.

"Enough Andrew," she said softly in an attempt to calm him down.

The whole thing was upsetting Michael and in turn that upset them. It was how the friendship between the three of them worked. When one was upset and the others can't don anything to help, they all become upset and the whole thing just becomes depressing.

"Damn," Andrew said, "today was supposed to be a good day too."

---

"WHAT!" Lindsey shrieked like an angry harpy. Her reaction to the news was just like Andrew, only she was louder. Sara flinched at her high pitched screech. "Tell me that you're kidding. Tell me that Robert's not coming tonight," Lindsey pleaded.

"He's coming tonight."

"Why?" Lindsey whined.

Sara opened her mouth to say something but then shut it. She really didn't want to admit why.

"You know this isn't going to end well, right?" Lindsey asked her. "I mean it's bad enough to have me and Robert in the same room, but to have him and Michael together..." she trailed off. "At least with me you know what to expect: bitchiness and snark, but with Michael..."

"You think Michael and Robert would get into a fight?"

"I don't know, maybe."

"Michael's not like that. Neither is Robert."

Lindsey rolled her eyes. "Oh please! You know very well Robert can be antagonistic and provoking when he wants to be."

Sara let out a long sigh and plopped herself into her desk chair. She was right. "Maybe I shouldn't go."

"That's just what he wants though," Lindsey said, "you want to go to the party tonight, right?"

"Yes."

"Then go. Don't let him scare you into not doing something you want to do. Besides, I need you there because I don't know Andrew, Lily and Michael as well as you do."

Sara sighed once more. "This really isn't going to end well, is it?"

Lindsey shook her head.

---

Michael stood in Andrew's kitchen watching the large oven that had a pizza baking inside it, but his mind was somewhere else. He was dreading what was to come with the setting of the sun, namely the arrival of Robert.

It was quite clear from their earlier encounter that Robert didn't like Michael and didn't want him anywhere near Sara and that was the one place he wanted to be. Michael sighed. Robert was practically rubbing it in his face, asserting that Sara was with him and not Michael and Michael expected more of that behavior tonight.

_Ding dong._

Michael looked up from staring at the stove. He uncrossed his arms and began walking to Andrew's front door. There on the other side was Sara and Robert.

Sara smiled at him. "Hi."

It was reflex, he smiled back. He couldn't help it. When she smiled at him, he smiled back. Her smile was one of the first things that drew him to her in the first place. "Hi."

"Are we early?" Robert asked, noticing the too warm smile between the two of them.

The smile quickly faded at the sound of Robert's voice. "Uh, kind of," Michael said, stepping aside to let them in, "no one else is here yet and Lily's picking up Andrew from the hospital."

"Oh," Sara said softly. But that meant that she was alone. In a house. With just Michael and Robert. Not good.

_Ding Dong._

Sara breathed a sigh of relief. Michael went to answer the door and there was Lindsey standing before them.

"Hi Lindsey," Sara greeted her friend.

"Hey Sara," she then turned to Michael, "Michael," and then she turned to Robert, her eyes narrowing in a small glare, "_Robert," _she said icily.

"Hello to you too, Lindsey," Robert replied back with the same amount of hostility.

Sara cleared her throat, interrupting their glaring match. "Something smells good."

"That would be the pizza I have in the oven," Michael said.

"You cook?" Robert chuckled a little. "That's usually a woman's job," he said mockingly.

"Not necessarily," Sara spoke up, "Some of the best chefs in the world are men." She turned to Michael. "So you know how to make pizzas?"

Michael chuckled. "No it's just store bought pizza. I'm just heating it up."

"Oh, well it still smells really good. Do you need any help?" Sara offered.

"No, it's fine," Michael said, "uh, make yourselves comfortable while we wait for Lily and Andrew."

"Don't mind if we do," Robert said, slipping an arm around Sara's waist as he sat them on the couch.

"Is it just us?" Lindsey asked as she sat herself into one of the arm chairs.

"Uh yeah," Michael said, "we invited some people from work but they couldn't make it. So it's just us, Lily and Andrew."

"Oh gawd! It's so good to be home!"

"And that would be Andrew," Michael said with a small chuckle.

Lily stepped in the living room with Andrew on crutches. He turned to Lily. "I want to say it, come on, let me say it!"

Lily chuckled. "Fine! Then say it!"

Andrew grinned. "There's no place like home!"

"Great, now all we need is to get you some ruby slippers and a blue dress and then we could act out The Wizard of Oz," Lily said.

"And Michael can be Toto!" Andrew exclaimed. Everyone laughed.

Robert threw a smug look at Lindsey and said, "And Lindsey could be the Tin Man since she has no heart."

Lindsey glared back at him. "And you can be the Scarecrow since you have no brain! Better yet, why don't you be the witch in the beginning and get crushed by the house?"

Sara stepped in between her boyfriend and her best friend. "Easy, it was just a joke," she said nervously, biting her bottom lip. With the way she was looking at the moment, Michael couldn't help but think that Sara would play the role of the cowardly lion.

"I think the pizza's almost ready," Michael said, stepping in as well. "We should all go sit down and eat."

Everyone walked on over to the dinner table while Andrew hobbled on his crutches and Michael headed towards the kitchen. He came back with a big pan of pizza and set it on the table before taking the only open seat left which was next to Lindsey.

"That looks good!" Andrew exclaimed as he dived for a slice, eager for non-hospital food. Lily shook her head at him, but smiled.

Everyone picked a slice off the pan and they all began eating. "So," Robert began, "what do you three do for a living?"

Lily was the one that answered. "We work at Middleton, Maxwell & Schaum, the architectural firm."

"Oh," Robert said but continued, "So how did you all meet?"

Andrew, Lily and Michael looked at each other. It was Andrew who spoke up. "Well we all kind of met through Sara and Michael."

"Really?" Robert glanced from his girlfriend to Michael. "And how did the two of you meet?" he pried.

Sara swallowed the piece of pizza she had in her mouth and answered him. "We bumped into each other at my dad's last charity dinner."

"Actually," Lindsey spoke up, "someone bumped into Sara and Michael caught her to keep her from falling to the floor. Right?"

Both Sara and Michael shyly nodded remembering the first night they had met while Lindsey smirked. She was trying to get underneath Robert's skin using Sara and Michael's obvious attraction to each other.

"Oh, that's nice," Robert said dryly. "I would have been at that dinner but unfortunately I was out of town that night."

Lindsey brought her drink up to her lips. "Too bad you're not out of town tonight," she mumbled before she took a sip.

"What was that?" Robert asked irritably.

Sara kicked Lindsey underneath the table. "Ow!" She shot a glare at the red head. "Nothing."

Andrew snickered at the scene. He leaned over to Michael and whispered, "Looks like Lindsey's doing a fine job of annoying Robert. Makes our lives easier."

Michael couldn't help but grin at that. He then glanced at Sara and guilt began to fill him. She was avoiding everyone's gaze and shifting in her seat with discomfort. This must be just as awkward and uncomfortable for her as it was for him, seeing as how she was seemingly caught in the middle of it all.

"What about you Robert?" Lily asked. "How did you and Sara meet?" She decided to ask him the same question.

"We met a few years back through her father. He introduced us," he said with a proud smile.

"Oh," Lily said. She turned to Sara. "Did he ask you out right then and there?"

Sara opened her mouth to speak but Robert answered for her. "Of course I did! How could I not? She was too beautiful to let pass by."

Lindsey glared at the way he had interrupted her best friend. "You know, Lily asked _Sara,_ not you Robert. She can answer for herself."

"You know Lindsey," Robert began, "with your rude demeanor I don't understand how you could be a great doctor. Your bedside manner must be quite atrocious."

"My bedside manner is just fine, thank you very much," she retorted back. "I'm only rude to people who are complete-"

"Whoops!"

Everyone turned to the sound of a glass dropping to the floor, shattering. The glass had been Michael's. "My bad, sorry." He got up and went to the kitchen to get a towel and a dust pan to sweep the mess up.

Sara breathed a sigh of relief and she caught Michael's eye when he came back from the kitchen. His look told her that he purposely knocked over his glass to interrupt the fight before it got out of hand and she silently thanked him for it. Michael gave her a small smile before he bent down to clean up the mess. Robert didn't miss that smile. The rest of the dinner was still thick with tension but it went without any fists flying, so that was an accomplishment at least. They all retreated back to the living room after the pizza was all eaten.

Andrew hobbled on his crutches towards one of the armchairs and sat in it. Lily came over and sat on the arm rest of the chair, while Lindsey sat on the sofa. With his arm around her waist, Robert led Sara over to the other arm chair and mimicked the way Lily and Andrew were sitting together. Michael took the only seat left next to Lindsey on the couch.

Robert looked at the two of them on the couch together. He then turned to Sara and said, "Don't you think Michael and Lindsey would make a cute couple?"

Sara flinched. Lindsey's lower jaw dropped and her eyes narrowed at the politician. Michael shifted uncomfortably on the couch. Andrew glared at Robert and his hand clenched into a fist but Lily placed her hand on his in order to keep him from flying at the guy with intent to hit. What he said was so out of line.

"Sorry," Lindsey said, turning to Michael, "no offense, but you're not my type."

"No offense taken," Michael replied. He glanced over at Sara to see how she was taking in all of this. Her gaze was cast downwards.

"How about we play a game?" Lily suggested in a sorry attempt to keep the party at least somewhat light.

"What kind of game?" Lindsey asked.

"Ever played 'I never' back in college?" Lily asked with a grin. Lindsey shook her head. "Okay we go around the room saying 'I never something, something' and if you have done that something, you take a drink."

"It's usually played with alcohol, but seeing as how we have jobs to go to in the morning, we'll just drink coke," Andrew said with a grin. "First one that has to go to the bathroom loses."

"Okay?" Lily asked everyone. They all nodded and agreed on the rules. Lily passed out shot glasses and filled them up with soda. "I'll start. I never got a speeding ticket."

Andrew and Lindsey took a drink. Andrew was next.

"I never had sex at the hospital."

No one drank. Andrew faced Sara. "See, Lily and I didn't do it in the hospital."

Sara smirked at him. "I kinda figured that one out when you asked me your little question this morning."

Andrew frowned. "Shut up." Sara just chuckled. "Your turn Lindsey."

"I never kissed a girl."

Andrew, Michael and Robert took a drink... so did Lily.

Andrew looked at his girlfriend. "You kissed a girl?"

Lily smiled. "It was a dare back in college. Do you find it strange?"

"No I find it kind of hot actually," Andrew said with a chuckle. Lily lightly smacked his shoulder.

"Okay, okay," Michael said. It was his turn. "I never kissed a guy," he said, copying Lindsey a little bit.

Sara, Lily and Lindsey each took a drink, but none of the guys did.

"Oh come on! You guys never experimented back in college or anything?" Lily asked lightly. They all shook their heads. It was Robert's turn.

"I've never been arrested."

Michael flinched. He picked up his shot glass and downed it. Robert tried to hide his smirk.

"Really Michael? What were you arrested for?" Robert smugly asked.

"Bar fight," Michael simply said. He knew that Robert was trying to paint him in a bad light for Sara, but Sara already knew the story behind his arrest so he wasn't worried. Just annoyed.

Sara was up next. She thought for a second and then faced Andrew. "I never watched a soap opera."

"You're mean," Andrew said before drinking his shot glass.

Lily chuckled at her boyfriend. "You watch soap operas?"

"It was only during my time at the hospital," Andrew whined. "Stop making fun of me." Everyone laughed. Lily was up again.

"I never had unprotected sex." No one drank. Lily chuckled. "Nice to know that we're all responsible."

Andrew grinned mischievously. "I've never masturbated."

Everyone tentatively reached for their glass and drank it down with blushes on their faces. Andrew snickered after downing his glass. "Nice to know that we all know how to get ourselves off." Lily smacked her boyfriend's chest with the back of her hand.

Lindsey was next. "I never voted for Governor Tancredi. Sorry Sara."

"It's okay, I didn't either," Sara replied back. Only Robert drank.

"Why not? He's your father," Robert said.

"I don't have the same views as my father."

"So you voted against him?" Robert frowned.

Michael coughed. "It's my turn. I never voted."

Robert was the only one to drink again. Sara turned to Robert. "There's your answer."

Lindsey smirked. She knew that Sara's lack of support for her father bothered Robert to no end, seeing as how he practically worshipped the ground the man walks on. "Go on Robert," she said in a mocking sing song voice, "it's your turn."

Robert threw her a quick glare before saying, "I never coveted something that belonged to someone else."

Michael knew that one was aimed at him, again. He looked down at his glass. Should he drink it and basically admit that he still wanted Sara? Michael took a deep breath and downed his glass. Andrew saw him do it and decided to drink too so his friend wouldn't be alone. He did want to have his neighbor's new sports car after all.

Sara shifted uncomfortably where she sat. She knew that she was a part of why Michael drank. It was her turn. "I never save the cookie dough last when I eat cookie dough ice cream."

Michael looked up at her and smiled. Sara gave him a playful smirk back. Both he and Sara drank. Robert's eye twitched. Lindsey bit back the smile that threatened to come out on her face.

"I never fell in love at first sight," Lily said.

Robert reached for his glass and so did Michael. They both drank and looked to Sara. She also drank from her glass. The two wondered who she was thinking about while she downed the shot of soda.

It was Andrew's turn again. "I never had sex outdoors."

Sara looked at him with a laugh on her lips. "What is it with you and the sex statements?" she asked.

"I think he has a one track mind," Lily said. Andrew chuckled.

"Would sex in the back seat of a car count as outdoor sex?" Lindsey asked. Andrew nodded. She downed her glass.

"How very refined of you Lindsey," Robert remarked sarcastically.

"Why thank you," she replied back with even more sarcasm. Lindsey cleared her throat. "I've never been rejected after proposing marriage," she said, looking straight at Robert. Sara had finally told her the story of what made her break up with Robert in the first place.

Robert narrowed his eyes at her in the tiniest of slits. "I didn't actually propose to her you know."

"Yeah but she knew you were going to and broke up with you, so technically, you got rejected. Drink up!" Lindsey said with a smirk.

Robert grumbled as he drank and Sara shifted uncomfortably again. Andrew, Lily and Michael had no idea what they were talking about.

"What the hell are you guys talking about?" Andrew asked.

Still with the smirk on her face Lindsey said, "A long time ago Robert here planned on asking Sara for her hand in marriage. But little Sara here found out about it before hand and broke up with him before he could ask her."

"Really?" Lily asked, intrigued, "Why?"

Sara looked down and bit her bottom lip. "It's a long story."

"But it all worked out in the end," Robert said smiling and slipping an arm around Sara's waist. "It's funny that you can handle bleeding chest cavities and severed limbs but you run away at the sight of a pretty diamond ring."

"I don't think she was running away from the diamond ring, Robert," Lindsey said.

Robert shot her a glare, but Lindsey was headstrong and unfaltering. Sara cleared her throat. "Michael, it's your turn."

Michael looked at Sara. He could tell that the game was taking on a more personal tone for her. She was becoming more upset with each "I never."

"I never hated a pair of high heeled shoes," he said in an attempt to make her smile.

And she did. A small chuckle escaped from her lips as she remembered those horrible shoes that her stepmother bought her. But then again, without those shoes, she would never have met Michael and she couldn't hate them for that. But she still hated what they did to her feet that night, so Sara drank. Michael smiled.

Robert didn't like the smiling going on between the two of them. "I never stood up my date."

Michael flinched and Sara was back to shifting uncomfortably in her seat. Michael reached for his glass and drank it down, guiltily. Lindsey eyed Robert with a death glare. "Why aren't you drinking Robert?"

"Excuse me?"

"Well I seem to remember many a time when Sara would bitch to me about how you were late for your dates and how sometimes you canceled them completely on her and at the last minute even."

"Well, at least I actually called her to let her know," Robert said in his defense.

Sara shrunk in size. But Michael did call her. She just didn't answer it. She glanced over at him and saw that he was averting his gaze to down to the ground. Guilt began to build in the knot of her stomach. She needed to know something.

"I never had my heart broken," Sara said.

Everyone looked at her, surprised at how softly she said it. They weren't even sure they heard her say it. Lily then reached for her glass and drank from it, remembering the guy that had broken her heart. Andrew took her hand in his and cooed "Oh baby," to her, planting a small kiss on her cheek. She turned her head and kissed him lightly on the lips.

Michael looked down at his glass for a few seconds. Sara carefully watched him. He drank. Sara looked away, feeling even more guilt. She knew that drink was for her.

Lindsey watched Robert and saw that he wasn't drinking. Again she asked him, "Why aren't you drinking, Robert?"

Robert looked at her. "I beg your pardon?"

"Well, when Sara broke up with you that must have broken your heart, right? Especially since you were going to ask her to marry you."

"You're right, for once," Robert said reaching for his glass, "I just didn't think about it since we're back together now." He drank the soda down.

Michael looked at Sara once more and saw her agitated state. Clearly this game was getting way too personal for her. It had to end.

"I have to go to the bathroom." "I have to hit the head."

Both Michael and Sara looked at each other. They both had spoken up at the same time. Andrew looked at the two of them. "You two lose then."

"That's okay," Michael said, standing up from the couch. He began walking down the hall towards the bathroom. Sara followed after him. They both stopped in front of the toilet room. "Ladies first," Michael said to her.

"I know you were trying to stop the game for me Michael," Sara said her face turned into a light smile, "thank you."

Michael shyly smiled back. "You're welcome, but it looks like you had the same idea anyway." They both chuckled. "You still need to use the bathroom?"

"Uh, yeah," Sara said with a small laugh. "Excuse me," she said as she brushed past him and into the room.

Michael leaned against the hallway wall as he waited for Sara to finish up. He heard a cough and turned his head to see Robert walk up to him.

"At least you're enough of a gentleman to let her go before you do," he remarked.

Michael narrowed his eyes at him and began to speak in a whisper so Sara wouldn't hear him. "You know, I don't mind it that you're trying to antagonize me because that's understandable. But I do mind that your antagonizing seems to upset Sara."

"Well if you weren't around Sara so much then I wouldn't antagonize you and Sara wouldn't have to get upset."

"You're a bastard, you know that Robert!"

Both men turn their heads to see Lindsey come up to them in the hallway. Robert glared at her. "And you're a real bitch Lindsey."

"Michael's done nothing wrong and yet you're such an asshole to him! And poor Sara is caught in the middle of it!" she screeched in fury.

"Hey!"

They all turned at the sound of Sara's voice. She stood in the doorway of the bathroom. "That's enough dammit!"

Robert growled and roughly grabbed Sara's wrist. "Exactly, let's just leave." He began to pull her down the hall with him.

"Ow!" Sara cried out as he tugged on her arm. They stormed out of the hallway and up to the front door.

"Hold on you son of a bitch!" Lindsey yelled out at the politician as she followed him. Michael was behind her.

"I am not going to stay here while a stupid harpy of a woman yells her head off at me!" Robert roughly grabbed his and Sara's coats off the coat hanger. "We are leaving!" And with that he threw open the door and stomped out with Sara in his hold.

Lindsey screamed once she heard tires screeching. "Argh!" Her hands turned into talons. She felt like strangling something.

"Lindsey, I think you need to calm down," Lily said to the woman. She, Andrew and Michael stood a good three feet away from her, a little afraid that she would take her frustration out on them.

"But he's everything that is wrong for her!" Lindsey yelled. "Why can't she see that?"

Lindsey huffed and puffed, but she managed to calm down a bit. But she was still scowling.

"Well this party was a bust," Andrew retorted.

---

"You're angry at me, aren't you?"

Robert sat in the driver's seat of his car as he drove Sara back home to her apartment. They hadn't spoken a word to each other since they left Andrew's house.

Sara sighed. "Not angry, just frustrated."

"I'm sorry Sara."

"I'm not the one you should be saying sorry to," Sara snapped at him.

"Lindsey was the one that started it."

"That's real mature, Robert," Sara said. "Even so, you didn't have to be rude back to her and to Michael."

Robert growled at the mention of Michael. "I don't want you anywhere near him."

"Excuse me?" Sara asked her face turning into a scowl. "Michael's my friend, Robert."

"I don't like him."

"I don't like a lot of your friends yet you don't see me telling you not to hang out with them."

"That's different."

"How?"

Robert didn't answer her. Sara scowled even more. "Just drop me off. I don't want you to walk me up to my apartment."

"Sara..."

But she ignored him when he parked in front of her apartment complex.

"Sara..." he tried again but Sara cut him off.

"Goodnight Robert," she said curtly and slammed his car door shut.

---

In another car sat Lindsey and Michael. She had offered him a ride home since his car was still in the shop being repaired from the accident.

"Thanks for the ride," Michael said, "I really need to get a rental car though."

Lindsey slightly laughed. "Yeah."

There was an awkward silence between them.

"Sorry you had to see me like that," Lindsey said, "you know with the yelling and the bitchiness."

"It's okay."

Another silence.

"How do you feel about Sara, Michael?" Lindsey asked him.

Michael turned to look out the passenger window. He shifted in his seat.

"You like her, don't you?" she pressed on.

Michael still didn't answer her. Lindsey smiled. "She likes you too, I know it."

Michael turned to look at her.

Lindsey quickly glanced at him and then focused back on the road. "She smiles more when she's with you. I like that look better on her." Michael smiled slightly at that.

"It's just Robert..." Lindsey sighed, frustrated. "Sara's a smart girl, but she doesn't always make the decisions that are right for her." She paused. "I don't know you well enough Michael, but I can tell that you're a good guy and that you would be good for Sara. Just give her some time and I know she will come around. Just don't give up on her."

"I don't intend to."

Lindsey smiled at that. "I just want to let you know though, when she does dump Robert again --and I know she will because let's face it, he's an asshole-- I'm going to be cheering for you two to get together."

Michael chuckled and nodded again. "Thanks."

---

Sara parked her car in the small parking lot of a diner she occasionally went to for breakfast. Robert had left her over seven messages on her cell phone overnight and she ignored every one of them. She knew she would probably be getting many vases of flowers at work. The symbol of disappointment for her. Sara sighed and walked into the diner. She spotted Michael in corner by himself.

"Hey, mind if I joined you?" she asked him as she strode up to his table.

Michael looked up. "Not at all, sit." Sara sat down while he called a waitress over to bring her a cup of coffee. "How are you?"

"Fine, considering what happened last night," she said.

"Yeah," Michael agreed.

"Michael, I want to apologize to you for Robert's behavior last night."

Michael shook his head. "You don't have to. It's not your fault."

"Yeah but still," Sara said, "I'm really sorry about the whole thing." She looked down at her coffee. "It's just that I think he was..."

"Jealous?"

Sara looked up and nodded.

"I'd probably be a little jealous and wary if I was him. Maybe even act the same way."

Sara shook her head. "I doubt that. You and Robert are very different."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Michael asked her.

Sara pondered that question for a little bit. She then smiled. "It's a good thing."

Michael smiled back. He remembered Lindsey's words from the night before. Maybe she was right. The waitress brought over some pancakes and the two of them began to eat breakfast, starting off a pretty good day. 


	10. Like Mother, Unlike Daughter

Author's Notes:  
Here we go! The next chapter! And it's a long one again. 

And a million thanks to Jen for the beta! 

Oh and I know that the recent episode of Prison Break (Ep. 2.7) said that Sara was an only child and all I have to say about that is LIES! The newspaper article that Michael had of her said 'second eldest daughter' dammit! She has a sister dammit! And that was not the only thing I had to rant about that eppie. But I still loved it though! It was so good. Can't believe we have to wait 3 weeks. pout Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

Oh! And one more thing! The reason why this story is rated M is for later chapters. Okay, now enjoy the chapter!

* * *

_-- Flashback --_

"_Mommy?"_

_An older red headed woman looked up from the downcast look she had on her dinning room table where a half empty scotch glass sat. Her eyes met with her daughter, just a young child, Sara Tancredi._

"_Sara, what are you doing up sweetheart?" the older red head asked as Sara crossed the room and climbed into her mother's lap._

"_I heard you and daddy shouting again," little Sara said as she buried her head into her mother's shoulder. Her mother smelt like what she would learn later as alcohol._

"_I'm sorry baby," her mother cooed in a soft whisper, "I'm really sorry."_

"_Mommy, why do you and Daddy fight a lot?" little Sara asked._

"_It's because he makes you and your sister sad when he makes promises to you and doesn't keep them and that makes me sad too," she said with tears brimming her eyelids, "And then I get mad too because he keeps doing it to you, to all of us."_

_Little Sara pulled her head away from her mother's shoulder to look at her face. Little drops of water were rolling down her cheeks from her hazel eyes. With her short stubby fingers Sara wiped her mother's tears away._

"_Don't cry Mommy."_

_That only made her want to cry even more. She clutched her daughter's hand in hers and kissed her fingers, tasting the salt of her tears and sadness on them. "I'm trying not to Sara, but I'm not that strong." Mrs. Tancredi reached up to her daughter's face and tucked a lock of red hair behind her ear. She took a good look at her daughter and then smiled lightly. "But I have a feeling that you will be." Her smile became wider but it was still small. "You'll grow up to be a beautiful strong woman." _

"_Really?"_

_Her mother nodded. "Yes, why, when you get older men will probably be throwing themselves at your feet."_

"_Is that a good thing?"_

_Sara's mother let out a small chuckle at her daughter's innocence. "Most tend to think so." She then gave the young child a solemn smile. "They're going to fall in love with you and you will fall in love with one of them back. I just hope that you'll have better luck than I did."_

_Sara looked at her mother, not understanding what she meant exactly seeing as how she knew nothing about 'love' and was at the age where she thought that all boys were icky. But then again those fairy tales with the charming princes and the fair maidens falling in love with each other did sound really nice._

"_When you do fall in love with someone Sara, make sure that he won't disappoint you. Make sure that he will love you completely and fully. That he will make you smile and laugh. Make sure that you will be happy with him and he with you," her mother told Sara as she stroked her red locks._

"_Make sure you don't end up like me."_

_That last part had come out in the softest of whispers. Sara wasn't sure if she heard it. She looked into her mother's sad eyes. They were pleading, begging, with the fates and the powers that be that Sara would not face the same tragedy that she did, the tragedy that she will face. But in the end, the outcome of Sara's fate entirely depended on Sara herself._

_-- End of Flashback -- _

"Auntie Sara?"

Sara blinked and shook out of her little trip down memory lane. Standing before her was little Angie holding out a broken yellow crayon.

"My crayon broked," the little six-year old sniffed.

Sara gave her niece a small smile. The pig tailed girl had no idea how lucky she was that a broken yellow crayon was the worst of her problems. Things were so much more simple back then when she was a kid. "I'll get you a sharpener Angie, hold on."

Sara pushed herself off her grey couch and took those few steps towards her desk which was littered with mail and paperwork. She pulled open a drawer and rummaged through junk for a little pencil sharpener. When she found it her eye caught sight of the calendar on her wall beside it. Next Saturday was circled and marked "Devin and Megan's wedding. 4 pm."

She had forgotten completely about her friends' wedding what with all that's been going on with her the past month. She had received the invitation months ago, back when she was still single and in a hopeful but sorry thought that she would have a boyfriend by the time the wedding came around she RSVP'd that she would be bringing a guest. And she was right since she does have a 'boyfriend' now, but Sara wasn't too keen on bringing Robert to the wedding, especially after what had happened at Andrew's welcome home party the other night. He'd probably be too busy to go anyway.

"Auntie Sara?" Angie's soft voice broke her thoughts once again.

Sara turned around and walked back to her niece. She gave her a small smile. "Sorry Angie. Let me see your crayon now."

Little Angie handed her aunt the yellow crayola crayon and Sara sharpened it for her. The six-year old's eyes lit up and she said her "Thanks!" and promptly sat back down at Sara's coffee table where her brother Connor sat coloring various pictures in a coloring book.

Suddenly there was a rough knock on her apartment door. All three of them looked up. Sara told the twins to just keep coloring while she went to answer it and there behold was Robert standing in her doorway. Sara frowned. She was still angry at him for his behavior the other night.

"Why haven't you returned my calls?" he asked her.

"Because I'm trying to ignore you," she said curtly.

"Sara, look..."

"Robert, I'm in the middle of something at the moment," Sara said, interrupting him, "you should leave."

Robert's eyes narrowed with suspicion. "The middle of something?" He let out a low growl. "He's here, _isn't he_?" He pushed his way into Sara's apartment and immediately stomped over to her living room. "Come out here you son of a–"

He was met with two very confused six-year olds gawking up at him as they sat at the coffee table with crayons held midair in their stubby fingers. Robert promptly clamped his mouth shut, realizing his mistake. He turned to Sara to apologize, but one look at her told him that she was not amused.

"You should go Robert."

"Sara, it was an honest mistake..."

"Honest mistake?" Sara scoffed. "You jumped to conclusions! You must really think highly of me," she added sarcastically.

"Can you blame me? With the way he looks at you and the way you look back? Really Sara!"

"I will not argue with you in front of my niece and nephew. Get out Robert!" Sara practically shoved him out of her apartment.

She returned back to her living room. Angie and Connor looked up at her, a little confused and a little frightened. They had never seen their aunt so angry before.

"Auntie Sara, who was dat?" Connor asked.

Sara sighed. "He's...uh... my friend Robert."

"He doesn't sound like a friend," Connor said.

Angie nodded, agreeing with her twin. "Yeah, he's mean and scary and he makes you scary too."

"I'm sorry you guys, I didn't mean for you to see me like that," Sara told them as she plopped herself on her couch and slouched. "Robert and I are fighting. Sometimes people do that."

"Why are you fighting?" the twins asked.

"Because he doesn't like my other friends."

"Why?" Angie asked.

"I don't know," Sara said, shaking her head. But she really did.

"But I like your friends," Angie said, remembering Lily, Andrew and Michael from the barbecue. "Especially Michael! Michael's nice, much nicer than that other guy. And he doesn't make you scary," Angie told her aunt.

Sara lightly smiled at her niece. She was too adorable for her own good. But she was right. And that just showed her how pathetic she was when a six-year old was able to point out who was the better man.

"Is Michael gonna play with us today like last time?" Connor asked.

Sara shook her head. "He has work today sweetie."

The twins pouted. Sara felt like pouting herself.

---

"Andrew, do you have--" Michael stopped mid sentence as he entered his friend's office where he was met with the sight of Andrew and Lily not so subtly groping each other. He averted his eyes and cleared his throat when he realized that the two of them had not noticed that he had entered the room.

"Michael!" Lily said in a flustered stammer as she finally noticed him. She stepped away from her boyfriend, readjusting her shirt before she faced him. "I thought you locked the door?"

Andrew just grinned at her. "Your lips must have distracted me."

Lily fake scoffed at him and playfully smacked him in the chest. She turned back to Michael and let out a small nervous chuckle. "Sorry about that Michael."

"Uh, it's okay," he said awkwardly. He was still getting used to their coupling. "I just came for the prints. Then you guys can, uh, go back to whatever it was you guys were doing."

Andrew chuckled and proceeded to toss his friend a tube that held the blueprints. "There you go man!" He then wrapped an arm around Lily's waist. "And what we were 'doing' was a little something called 'foreplay.' You know, the thing that leads to the birds and the bees?" Lily let out a small chuckle and shook her head at Andrew, but he went on. "Has the 'beast' noticed that Lily's missing from her desk?"

"Uh, he was on the phone the last time I checked," Michael said.

Andrew raised an eyebrow. "Still? Damn, must be some business call."

"It's not a business call at all," Lily said. Both men turned to her. "While you guys were recovering from the car accident apparently our 'beast' found himself a tamer," she said with a small grin.

"You mean he found himself a girlfriend?" Andrew asked incredulously.

Lily nodded. "And ever since he's been a bit more lenient on all of us, haven't you guys noticed?"

"He has been a bit cheery lately. It's actually kinda scarier than when he glares at us and looks down at us," Andrew said with a slight shudder. "But I guess I should just count my blessings now that he's going easier on all of us," he added with a smile and pulled Lily closer to him, nuzzling her neck. "The things love will do to a man."

Lily gave a slight giggle. "Do you think he would notice if we just left the office and didn't come back the rest of the day?" she asked her boyfriend with a seductive tone.

Michael cleared his throat again. Apparently his friends forgot that he was still in the room with them. "I'll be going now," he said with a wave of the tube in hand, but the two of them weren't paying attention. He shook his head but gave them a small chuckle as he walked out of the office.

He walked through the cubicles of his firm towards his own office where he sat the tube of blueprints on his desk. The watch on his wrist then beeped signaling to him that it was noon, lunchtime. And it looked like he would be eating alone seeing as how Andrew and Lily were so enraptured with each other's... okay he was just going to stop right there.

---

Michael walked down the sidewalk of Chicago's streets with his hands in his coat pockets to shield them from the cold autumn weather. He took in all the city sights and sounds and processed them in his head. The sounds of cars honking, cell phones ringing, and people chattering away all flowed in and out of his mind. Then he heard laughter. And not just any laughter, but the laughter of a certain auburn haired woman who had that uncanny ability to make him smile. And here he was now, smiling at the sight of her, smiling at what she was doing at the moment.

Sara was with Angie and Connor and the three of them had made a game out of jumping from crack to crack in the sidewalk. Sara did the task with ease whereas Connor and Angie had trouble jumping just short of the line.

"Dat's not fair Auntie Sara, you're bigger than us!" Connor exclaimed with a childish pout.

Sara slightly chuckled. "I'm sorry Connor," she said ruffling his hair, "but soon you'll be big and will be able to jump really far, I promise."

Michael couldn't help but smile at the scene. He let out a small chuckle. Angie had heard him and turned her head. Her eyes lit up at the sight of him and she skipped on over to him.

"Michael!"

Sara looked up and their eyes met. She smiled and he felt a rush of warmth wash over him.

"Hey," he simply said.

"Michael," Sara began with that bright smile of hers, "what are you doing here?"

"I was heading out to lunch."

"Oh! We were too!" Angie jumped up and down excitedly. "Can Michael eat lunch with us Auntie Sara?"

"Angie, I think you should ask Michael," Sara said.

Angie looked up at Michael with big innocent doe like eyes. "Will you have lunch with us?" She then added, "Please?"

Michael smiled down at the six-year old. "All right."

Angie threw her hands up in the air in glee. The other three in her company let out a small laugh.

"We were going to get some burgers just down the street," Sara said as the four of them began walking down the sidewalk.

"Cool, I was in the mood for a burger anyway," Michael said with a smile.

They walked into a fast food restaurant and Sara told the twins to go grab a table while she and Michael ordered their food. Angie slid into a booth after her brother who was now pretending that the salt and pepper shakers on the table were two soldiers. The six-year old girl watched her aunt and Michael together and noticed how they were always smiling at each other.

"Hey Connor," Angie said, poking him to get his attention, "do you think Auntie Sara likes Michael?"

"Yeah. I like him too," he said, going back to his little battle between salt and pepper.

"No, I mean like she _likes him_ likes him. Like how Cindy at school likes you."

Connor made a face. "But I don't like Cindy."

"I'm not talking about Cindy!" Angie said with the frustration of a six-year old. Then she thought of something else that her dense twin might understand. "Do you think Michael and Auntie Sara like each other the way Mommy and Daddy like each other?"

Connor just shrugged. "Maybe."

Angie sighed in frustration. Boys were stupid, especially her twin brother.

Meanwhile, Sara and Michael waited in line to get their food. Sara glanced at him. "Where are Andrew and Lily?"

Michael tore his eyes away from the big sign menu and looked at her. "Probably back at Andrew's place, playing hooky," he said. 'And probably something else,' Michael thought and he fought to keep the images out of his head.

Sara chuckled. "I think I know what they're doing."

"What?"

"Each other," she said. Michael chuckled. Apparently Sara was thinking the same thing he was. "On the morning of Andrew's release, he asked me if it was okay for him to have sex in his condition."

Michael raised a brow with an amused smile on his lips. "Really? What did you tell him?"

Sara smiled a brilliant smile full of mischievousness. "I basically told him that it would kill him."

Michael let out a loud laugh, turning a couple of heads to him, but he didn't notice. "I wish I could have been there to see his face!"

Sara laughed along with him. They quickly got their food and returned to the table where the twins sat. Connor threw up his hands in the air and gleefully shouted, "Yay! Food!"

Angie looked up at Michael as he sat down. "Michael, will you play with us after we eat?"

Michael looked down at the hopeful six year old. He didn't like disappointing anyone. "I can't Angie. I have to go back to work."

Angie pouted and began poking her French fries. Michael frowned. He didn't like disappointing anyone. "Maybe on the weekend your Auntie Sara and I can take you guys to the park again," he gave the little girl a smile, "and I can push you on the swings again."

Angie brightened at this suggestion. She looked at Sara for a confirmation that it was okay, but Sara shook her head.

"I'm going to a wedding on Saturday," she told them.

Both Michael and Angie looked downhearted when she said that. Michael was disappointed he wouldn't be spending a day with Sara and Angie was disappointed that she wouldn't get to ride on the swings. Connor was just munching away on his burger. Sara felt bad seeing the disappointment on their faces.

"Maybe we could do something another time," she said. Angie brightened again at that prospect and they began eating up their lunch.

"So whose wedding are you going to?" Michael asked, making conversation.

"An old med school buddy of mine as well as my old neighbor," Sara said. "They actually met through me."

Michael smiled at her. "Sounds like fun. I've never been to a wedding before."

Sara smiled back at him. Then a thought hit her. "Would you like to come with me?" she asked, rather shyly.

Michael looked up from his burger. "What?"

Sara slightly blushed. Why did it feel like she was asking a boy out to a school dance? "Well, I don't have anyone to go with and I really don't want to be there by myself."

"What about Robert?"

Sara looked down. "I'm still kind of mad at him for the other night. And plus, he's usually too busy with work."

Michael thought about this. A part of him was jumping for joy at the possibility of spending time with Sara, but there was a little voice in his head that told him that maybe it wasn't such a good idea, especially with Robert around. But then another voice told him 'To hell with Robert! Go for it!' Michael ended up listening to the second voice.

He smiled at her. "Okay."

Sara beamed. "Great." She looked down at her burger, smiling, and the four of them continued eating.

---

The week went by and soon came the day of the wedding. Michael walked down the hallway of Sara's apartment building complex. He was dressed in a dark blue buttoned up shirt with black pants and a black jacket over his shoulders. As he walked up to Sara's door, apt. no. 236, Michael rubbed his palms on his pants. He took a deep breath and rapt his fist on her door. Shuffling could be heard on the other side of the door and soon enough he heard the door being unlocked and opened.

Michael felt his breath hitched in his throat and his heart skipped a beat. There was Sara, dressed in maroon spaghetti strapped dress that had a thin ribbon wrapped around her waist in a bow. It was a simple dress, but Sara made it look absolutely stunning. She looked breathtaking in it. Her hair was down, but in wavy curls that fell about her bare shoulders. She smiled at him. It nearly floored him.

"Hi Michael," she said.

"I...uh... wow..." Michael stammered. Sara gave a small chuckle. Michael became flustered. "Sorry, I didn't mean to stare," he told her.

Sara smiled and shook her head. "It's okay; I'm taking it as a compliment." She grabbed her purse and shawl, along with the wedding gift. "You don't look half bad yourself," she said with a grin as they began walking out the door.

Michael chuckled. "Thanks."

---

The wedding was being held at a club along Chicago's lakefront. The wedding ceremony itself was going to be outdoors by the lake, while the reception would be in the club. Many people were already there when Michael and Sara arrived.

"Sara!"

Sara turned around and saw her old medical school classmate, Devin, come up to her. He greeted his old friend with a smile and a hug.

"I'm so glad you made it! It's been such a long time!"

Sara smiled at her friend. "Yes, it has." She looked at Michael. "Devin, this is my friend Michael. Michael, meet the groom, Devin."

Michael held out his hand. "It's nice to meet you, and congratulations."

Devin shook his hand. He just couldn't stop grinning. It was obvious he was excited for the wedding. "Thanks." He then saw the chairs set up by the lake being filled up. "You guys better go grab a seat. We'll be starting in a bit."

"Okay," Sara said.

Devin said goodbye to them and went on to greet the other guest just arriving. Michael held out his arm to Sara and smiled. "Shall we?"

Sara smiled back and linked her arm with his. "We shall."

The two of them walked on over and found themselves a couple of seats. Sara looked around at the other guests, trying to see if she knew or remembered anyone there. She found a couple of ladies staring at her. Or rather, they were staring at Michael. Sara looked at Michael to see if he noticed, but he didn't. He was busy looking at the setup of columns and archways with flowers draped about it, probably digesting its structure with his engineer mind. Sara glanced back at the women and now they were grinning and waving their hands in their faces like a fan as if it were hot, which was strange because it was cold out. They looked to be almost swooning.

Sara slightly grimaced. They were checking Michael out! Devouring him with their eyes! Undressing him in their minds! Sara felt a vein on her brow twitch. Michael finally noticed her discomfort.

"You okay Sara?" he asked her.

Sara looked back at him. "What? Oh, yes, I'm fine." She pulled her shawl more tightly around her shoulders. "Just a little cold." Actually, she was burning with annoyance.

"Do you want to wear my jacket?" Michael offered, ever the gentleman.

"No, I'm okay," she told him. Then she regretted it because maybe wearing his jacket would send signals to the other ladies that Michael was off limits. Sara mentally shook her head. Michael wasn't her boyfriend, so those women were free to drool over him as much as they like much to Sara's dislike.

The groomsmen shuffled stray people to the seats and shushed everyone. The wedding was about to start.

---

The ceremony was beautiful. Sara couldn't help but sniffle a little bit as Devin and Megan said their vows. Michael offered her a handkerchief and she dabbed at her watery eyes.

After the bride and groom walked down the aisle together everyone was shuffled into the club to be seated for dinner. Single women all around kept checking Michael out, much to Sara's annoyance, but she tried to ignore them and just focus on having a good time. The food was delicious and the couple that they sat with at their table was very friendly.

"The wedding was so beautiful," the woman, Emily, said to her fiancé, "do you think our wedding will be just as beautiful, Matt?"

Matt smiled at her. "It will be a hundred times more beautiful, Sweetheart," he said with endearment. He turned to Michael and Sara. "We're getting married in a year ourselves."

"Congratulations," both Michael and Sara said with a smile.

"Thank you," Emily said, beaming. "What about you guys? Are wedding bells in the future for you two?"

Michael and Sara awkwardly glanced at each other. Michael opened his mouth to speak. "We're not... we're not together."

"I'm actually dating someone else," Sara said. "We're just friends."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just assumed," Emily said. She turned to Sara. "So why aren't you here with your boyfriend?"

"He was busy, so I asked Michael to come with me," Sara said. "I didn't want to be a loner," she said with a small chuckle.

Matt turned to Michael. "Well Michael, you seemed to have caught many ladies' eye tonight. Maybe you can find yourself a girlfriend here."

Sara shifted uncomfortably in her seat and looked down at the table while Michael lightly brushed Matt's comment off. "I'm not here looking for a girlfriend, just trying to enjoy myself."

A new happy upbeat song began playing throughout the room and soon couples began moving towards the dance floor.

"Oh!" Emily exclaimed. "I love this song!" She jumped up from her seat and tugged on her boyfriend's arm, urging him to come with her to the dance floor and dance.

Michael and Sara watched as the happy couple made their way to the floor and began swaying to the music together. Michael turned to Sara and held his hand out to her.

"May I have this dance?"

Sara smiled at him. "You may." She slipped her hand into his and they made their way to the dance floor.

The two of them swayed and moved together to the beat of the music. Michael even twirled Sara around, earning him a happy laugh.

"I didn't know you could dance so well, Michael," Sara said with a smile on her face.

Michael chuckled. "I have many talents."

They laughed together and kept on dancing. The song ended and a new one began and the two of them were going to dance to that one as well when Sara felt a soft tap on her shoulder. She turned to see a woman with blonde hair smiling at them.

"May I cut in?" the blonde asked.

Sara stared at the girl. She wanted to say 'no.' She wanted to slap the blonde upside her head and tell her to go away, but she didn't want to cause a scene. She didn't want to ruin this day for Devin and Megan. Sara looked to Michael and he seemed to be waiting for her decision. It was up to her.

"Sure," Sara said with a forced politeness. She knew it was wrong to keep Michael to herself when he didn't belong to her.

"Sara-" Michael began, but Sara cut him off.

"It's okay," she said. "I kind of need a breather after that last dance and then I'm going to the restroom. Enjoy yourself Michael."

The blonde was only too happy to take Sara's spot in Michael's arms on the dance floor. Michael watched as Sara walked towards the ladies' room, his eyes filled with concern.

Sara stepped into the empty restroom and ventured into one of the stalls. She sat herself on the toilet seat and let out a long sigh. Soon enough she heard the restroom door open and in stepped two ladies. From the sound of their voices, Sara recognized one of them to be Emily.

"That Michael guy is quite the hottie, don't you think?" the other woman asked Emily.

"He sure is," Emily agreed, "he's cuter than Matt even, but don't tell him I said that."

The unknown woman chuckled then sighed. "It's too bad he's with that red head."

"Oh, they're not dating, they're just friends. She's actually dating another guy," Emily told her friend.

"Really? I like the sound of that." Sara could just imagine the girl grinning. "If I was her I would have jumped his bones the day I met him! I wonder what's wrong with her."

Sara heard the pair laugh. She fought the urge to pull the roll of toilet paper off its hinge and chuck it at the woman's head. She then heard the two of them leave and Sara was alone once again. She pushed open the stall door and walked over to the counter. Her hands gripped the porcelain edge of the sink.

What was wrong with her? There Michael was, an absolute wonderful guy. He was handsome and attractive. He was intelligent and funny. He was kind and sweet. And she enjoyed being around him. So why was she with someone else who did nothing but disappoint her?

Sara let out a long sigh and finally looked up to see her reflection in the mirror. She gasped and then blinked. For a second there, she could have sworn she saw her mother in the mirror, but no, it was just her. Sara shook her self. She was just seeing things. Sara washed her hands and fixed her hair a little bit before exiting the restroom.

Michael was still on the dance floor, but this time with a new girl. Sara assumed it was the girl she heard in the bathroom. She watched as the two of them moved together to the music. Then the girl leaned up on her tippy toes and brought her lips up to Michael's ear, whispering something in it. Sara saw Michael smile and chuckle and she thought she felt someone grab a hold of her heart and squeeze it. She turned away and saw a waiter with a tray with many glasses of champagne as well as the bottle on it. She walked up to him and grabbed both the bottle and a glass and walked away.

---

Michael wasn't used to getting so much attention from the fairer sex before. Sure, girls hit on him before, but not one after the other. He guessed it was because of the wedding atmosphere. Single girls got too emotional at weddings and then become more determined to seek out men of their own. Michael was flattered by all their looks and compliments, but he really just wanted to get back to Sara.

He looked around the room for her, but didn't see her anywhere. Soon the song ended and Michael was relieved. He looked down at his dancing partner.

"Thank you for the dance. Now excuse me," he said as politely as he could.

The girl gripped his hand. "One more dance?" she pleaded.

"I've been dancing all night, miss," Michael said with a forced politeness, "I'd like to take a rest and I want to look for my friend."

The woman pouted but she released his hand. Michael walked away from her and the dance floor and scanned the room for Sara's lovely head. But he couldn't find her anywhere. He walked up to Devin and Megan.

"Have you seen Sara?" he asked them.

They shook their heads. "No we haven't, why?" Devin asked.

"I can't find her at all. She said she was going to the bathroom, but it's been about an hour since she said that," Michael said.

"I was just in the bathroom, she's not there," Megan said.

"Maybe she's outside, getting some fresh air?" Devin suggested.

Michael nodded. "Probably. Thank you!" he said before jogging off.

Michael walked out into the dark cool night and looked about. He then saw someone sitting on the front steps of the building with her head resting on the railing. He took a few steps forward and saw that indeed it was Sara.

"Sara!" Michael bent down to her. "Where have you been? I've been looking everywhere for you!"

Sara lifted her head off the metal railing and brought her hand up to her head as if she had a headache. "Really? I could have sworn it was called dancing," she said rather bitterly.

Michael was taken a back for a second with that comment. Did she sound jealous? Was that the reason why she was out here? His foot hit something and he looked down to see a champagne bottle and a glass. He picked up the bottle. It was empty. His eyes widened.

"Did you drink the whole bottle, Sara?" he asked her with concern.

"Maybe," she said in a slur.

Michael stared dumbfounded at her. She was drunk. He saw her head fall back to the railing clumsily. Very drunk.

"I think I should take you home now," he said with worry lining his words. "Stay here while I go tell Devin and Megan that we're leaving."

Sara nodded with exaggerated movements and closed her eyes as she leaned her head on the railing. Michael placed his jacket on her shoulders to keep the cold away from her and then hurried back inside.

"Devin, Megan," Michael called out when he spotted them.

"Michael, did you find Sara?" Devin asked.

Michael nodded. "She's not feeling well, so I'm going to take her home."

"Is she okay?" Megan asked.

"She'll be fine. Thank you for everything. Congratulations and good luck!" Michael said quickly, eager to get back to Sara.

When he walked back outside he found that Sara was no longer sitting on the steps. She was sitting a few feet away on the ground. He rushed to her side and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Sara, are you okay?"

Sara sniffled a little bit. "I fell."

Michael stared at her with worry. "Okay, let me help you up and take you home," he said as he gripped Sara's hands in his and helped her to her feet. He saw that Sara had skinned her knee when she fell. "You're hurt." He pulled out his handkerchief and knelt down to wrap it around her knee. "Can you make it to the car?"

"I don't know."

"That's okay," he said. He wrapped an arm around her waist while the other held her hand to steady her. "Let's just get you home."

---

Michael didn't know how he managed it, what with their stumbling now and then, but he finally got Sara back to her apartment. He led her to her bathroom.

"Let's clean up your knee okay?" Sara just nodded in reply.

Michael flipped the toilet lid down and gently sat Sara on it. He rummaged her cabinets for disinfectant and some Band-Aids. He finally found some and then knelt down in front of Sara. She gripped his hands with hers.

"I can do it Michael," she said.

"You sure?"

Sara nodded, still with exaggerated movements. "Can you... can you get me my pajamas?"

Michael nodded. "Sure."

He walked out of the bathroom and into her bedroom where her dresser was along the wall. Without paying much heed, Michael opened the top drawer... only to find Sara's collection of lacy and non-lacy undergarments. Michael quickly shut the drawer; a rosy hue began creeping up his cheeks. He shook himself of the embarrassment and then opened the drawer beneath the top one with carefulness. He pulled out a pair of grey sweatpants and an old worn 'Northwestern' shirt.

He walked back to the bathroom, with the clothes in his hands. The door was slightly ajar and Michael gently pushed it open.

"Sara, here..."

Michael was left speechless at what he saw. There was Sara, standing in the middle of her bathroom, only she was just in her bra and panties. If Michael was blushing before, he was completely scarlet now. He gaped at her a bit but then promptly turned around holding out her pajamas to her.

"Um... here!" he stammered out. "Sorry... I... uh... didn't know..."

Sara shrugged his stammering off and took her clothes from Michael like it wasn't a big deal that she was standing in front of him half naked. Apparently alcohol made Sara more bold and without shame.

Michael kept his eyes averted, trying to be a gentleman, but he was so tempted to turn around... "Um, I'll wait outside," he said, shutting the bathroom door behind him. Outside, Michael did his best to calm himself down, but the image of Sara half naked kept reappearing before his eyes. "Oh god..." Michael said, running a hand over his face.

He then heard the bathroom door opening and out came Sara, fully dressed. She took a couple steps forward, but began to stumble. Michael quickly reached out and caught her before she fell to the floor.

"I got you! Don't worry," he said in comfort.

He was surprised when Sara stepped closer to him, burying her face into his chest. He felt her grab small handfuls of his shirt in her hands. She then sniffled. Michael felt compelled to wrap his arms around her tiny frame.

"What's wrong?" he asked her.

"I'm turning into my mom," she said, her voice muffled by his chest.

Michael gently pulled her a little bit away from his chest so he could look into her face. "What do you mean?"

Sara sniffled again. Tears smeared her cheeks. "She drank a lot. And she was bitter and sad. And I'm afraid I'm gonna end up like her."

Michael didn't know what brought this on, but he would comfort her nonetheless. "Hey, hey, it's okay. You're not going to end up like her."

"Yes I am!" Sara said into his chest again.

"Who says so?"

Sara opened her mouth to answer, but she really didn't know the answer. Michael pulled her close and hugged her.

"See? No one says so. If you don't want to be like your mom, then don't. It's your choice Sara," he said soothingly to her.

Michael felt Sara relax a little in his arms. She sniffled again and looked up at him. "Really?"

Michael nodded. "Yes. If you feel like you're turning into your mom and you don't want to, then do something about it." Sara nodded and Michael smiled at her. "You should go to bed, get some rest, okay?"

Sara nodded again. She dragged her feet to her bed and climbed in, pulling her covers over her.

Michael watched her as she tucked herself into bed. "Goodnight Sara."

---

The next morning, Sara woke up with the hugest headache in her life. She groaned as she gripped her head.

"About time you woke up. How are you feeling?"

Sara looked up and saw Michael sitting in a nearby chair. "Michael...what are you doing here?"

"Here," he said, handing her a glass of something unidentifiable to Sara, "I wanted to make sure you were all right, so I stayed over. I slept on your couch, hope you don't mind."

Sara took the glass from him. "I don't mind." She smiled at him. "Thanks." She then looked at the glass in her hand. "What is this?"

"Something to help you with your hangover. Don't ask what's in it though."

Sara looked at him funny but she shrugged and took a sip. Strangely enough, it made her feel better, but she should have known that since it was Michael. Sara cleared her throat before asking, "What happened last night?"

"You had a little too much to drink so I took you home."

"Oh," Sara said as the memories slowly came back to her, "I'm sorry you had to see me like that."

Michael blushed slightly. "Um, it's okay."

Sara stared at him, wondering why he was blushing. Then the memory hit her. She had stood in front of him in her underwear! "Oh God!" she said as she pulled her blanket over her head in embarrassment. She heard Michael chuckle.

"Sara, it's not a big deal," he said, slowly pulling the blanket down. "Besides, you have a cute butt," he said with a grin.

Sara faked scoffed at him, turning completely scarlet. She grabbed her pillow and playfully hit him in the head with it. "You're horrible!"

Michael chuckled as he blocked her hit with his arm. "It was a compliment Sara!" he said, laughing.

Sara couldn't help but laugh too. But she was still embarrassed. She managed to calm down a bit and then she remembered the other thing Michael did for her last night. "Thank you for..."

Michael nodded, realizing that she meant the thing about her mother. "May I ask why it upset you so much?"

Sara looked down at her lap. "It's just that... up until her death my mom lived her life unhappy and angry at everything. I don't want that to happen to me. My mom didn't want that to happen to me either."

"I don't want that to happen to you either."

Sara looked up at him and smiled a small smile. "You are right though. In the end it all really depends on me whether or not I face the same fate as her."

"So what are you going to do about it?" Michael asked.

Sara smiled at him. "What I must."

---

Sara sat at a table for two beside the Chicago River. She had already eaten and paid for her breakfast as she was waiting for the person she was meeting.

"Sara!"

The doctor looked up and saw Robert come up to her table.

"You're late," she said as he took a seat.

"I'm sorry, it's a busy morning," he excused, "now what did you want to talk about?" he asked with a hopeful look on his face.

"I wanted to talk about us," she told him.

"What about us?" Robert asked.

"That there's no longer an 'us' as of now," Sara said with a serious face.

"What?"

"I'm breaking up with you Robert," Sara simply said.

Robert's face twisted into anger, but Sara stood strong. "It's because of _him_, isn't it?"

"It's because of a lot of reasons," Sara said standing up from her seat at the table. "Goodbye Robert."

And with that Sara walked away from him, feeling a bit freer. She smiled up at the sky. 'Don't worry Mom, I promise I won't end up like you,' she silently said to the clouds.


	11. Storm

A/N: I am so sorry for not updating for almost a month! I mean, really, really sorry! I'm really sorry for making you all wait so long for this chapter. Hopefully it's what you expected and then more.

A million thanks to my friend Jen for the beta read!

Enjoy!

* * *

"A storm is coming."

Sara looked at the man sitting on the exam bed in front of her. "You think so?" she asked as she looked him over.

The old man nodded, his gray hairs falling about his forehead. "Yup. Every time I get sick there's always a storm."

Sara smiled at the old man, finding his superstition a little amusing. "Then I guess we should try and get you healthy again." She tore a paper off her prescription pad and handed it to him. "Here's your prescription, just head down to the pharmacy, they'll give you your medication and then you're good to go."

The old man smiled at her as he took the prescription from her. "Thank you, doctor. You be sure to be careful outdoors now."

"I'll be sure to, thanks for the warning," Sara said, "you take care now."

The old man nodded and stood up from the exam bed. Just as he exited the room, Lindsey stepped in. Sara looked up at her.

"You ready for lunch?" Lindsey asked her.

Sara smiled and nodded.

---

"Knock, knock," Lily said as she rapt her fist on the open door of Michael's office where both he and Andrew were looking over blueprints and paperwork.

"Hey," Michael said in greeting.

"Hey baby," Andrew said with a grin. He held an arm out to her and she strode right into it, giving him a quick peck on the cheek.

"The 'Beast' has given us a new project," Lily said holding out a file.

Andrew frowned. "A new one? But we're still working on the Fox River project."

"Yeah, but seeing as how we're wrapping that one up, he thought he should get us started on another one," Lily said. "And apparently this one's going to mean a lot of money for us."

Michael took the file from her. "Then why don't you sound happy about that?" he asked, a bit wary of the lack of enthusiasm in Lily's voice.

"Because someone is coming today to talk to us about the buildings they want," Lily replied, "and that someone is a person none of us like."

Both Michael and Andrew looked to her with dread. "Who?" they asked simultaneously.

"Robert."

Michael's eyes became wide and Andrew screamed "What?!"

"Please tell me you're joking Lily," Michael pleaded.

"I wish I was."

"That bastard!" Andrew fumed. "The only reason why he's coming is to harass Michael!"

"I know that's why I tried telling our boss to get someone else to talk to him but he said he wanted the best to be the ones handling this," Lily said shaking her head. She sighed. "The price of doing a good job."

Andrew swore and Michael ran a hand down his face. Things were going to get ugly.

---

"You seem different, Sara."

Sara tore her eyes away from the images that seemed to pass by through the passenger side window of her friend's car.

"How so Lindsey?"

Lindsey shrugged. "I can't quite put my finger on it, but there's something different about you."

Sara smiled. "There is something different about me."

"What?"

"I'm single."

Lindsey shot a look of surprise at her friend. "Wait, you broke up with Robert?"

The red head nodded. "That's precisely what I'm saying."

Lindsey's mouth dropped. Then she grinned. "When?"

"Yesterday."

Sara's friend practically squealed with delight. "I'm so proud of you right now!" she said with a chuckle.

Sara laughed with her. "I'm a bit proud of myself too."

"So what are you going to do now?" Lindsey asked as she made a right turn.

"What do you mean?"

"Are you going to be with Michael now?"

Sara turned her head away from her friend and bit her bottom lip slightly. "I don't know…"

Lindsey glanced at her friend in disbelief. "What do you mean you don't know? You like him, right?"

"Yes," Sara answered, a smile appearing on her face. Very much.

"Then I say you should go to him."

"It's just…"

"Just what?" Lindsey asked looking at her as they were stopped at a red light.

"Don't you think he might resent me a little bit after all that's happened?"

Lindsey almost laughed at her friend's insecurities. It was just too silly. "Honey, I honestly believe that you do not have to worry about that."

A smile formed on Sara's face, wiping away any doubt she had. "Thanks Lindsey."

"Anytime," Lindsey said. The light turned green and she pushed her foot onto the gas pedal. She pulled into the parking lot of their normal lunch break restaurant and parked her car. "Come on, let's eat."

---

It was awkward. Robert had been in Michael's office no more than five minutes and no one had said one word. The silence was unnerving and the tension in the air was thick. Unable to take it anymore, Lily spoke up.

"So, you want our firm to design and build new offices for you?" she asked the man sitting in the chair in front of Michael's desk.

"Yes," Robert replied blinking. "Governor Tancredi himself recommended your firm to me," he said politely but then added, "although I wonder if he would have if he knew what you turned his daughter into."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Andrew asked angrily.

Michael cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "Look Robert-"

"I would prefer you call me Mr. Spencer."

"Okay, Mr. Spencer," Michael said with a twinge of bitterness, "I know our last meeting wasn't exactly pleasant, but we're all adults, thus capable of being civilized enough to do business with each other."

"Well, I certainly hope so," Robert said condescendingly.

Lily saw Andrew's fist clench and Michael's eye twitch. This was going to turn really ugly really soon. They needed reinforcements.

"If you three would excuse me for a few moments, I need to use the ladies room," she said as she hurried out of Michael's office to the restroom. Once there, Lily whipped her cell phone out and began punching numbers.

---

Sara had just popped a cherry tomato from her salad into her mouth when her cell phone began to ring. Digging around her purse she pulled it out and swallowed her food before she said, "Hello?"

"Sara, I need your help."

Sara frowned. "Lily? What's wrong?"

"Robert's here at our firm."

"What? What is he doing there?"

"To do business or so he says, but you and I both know that that isn't true," Lily said over the phone.

"Is it bad?" Sara asked warily.

"Not yet, but when I left the room Andrew looked like he was two steps away from kicking him in the balls."

Sara rubbed her eyes in irritation. "Okay, I'm going to be there as soon as I can. Hold down the fort until then."

_Click._

Lindsey looked at her friend with concern. "What's wrong?"

"Robert's over at Michael's office," Sara said as she quickly slipped her purse on her shoulder and stood up in a hurry. "We have to go!"

Lindsey's eyes became wide. "Wait, what?" But Sara wasn't stopping. Lindsey stumbled out of her chair after her.

---

Lily slipped back into Michael's office quietly. The three men were still in the same positions they were in when she left. Michael sat behind his desk with Andrew standing beside him. Robert was still in the chair in front of them. Lily let out a sigh of relief. They weren't at each other's throats… yet.

When they looked at her she gave them a weak and nervous smile and asked, "What did I miss?"

"Just the basic preliminary stuff," Andrew answered as Lily came up to stand next to him.

Robert looked at the couple. "Does your boss know that the two of you are dating? Is that proper here? Because where I work, relationships between colleagues are not allowed." ( how would you fell about adding something like: no fishing off the company pier: relationships between colleagues are not allowed, no fishing of the company pier if you know what I mean)

Andrew glared at him and took a step forward but Michael firmly grabbed his arm, stopping him. "Mr. Spencer, let's keep things about the business at hand," he said to the man in the chair.

Robert smirked at him. "Of course." He knew he was getting under his skin. "Your boss was very excited when I talked to him on the phone. We're offering a lot of money so you guys better do your best to convince me that your firm is the best for the job." He uncrossed and re-crossed his legs. "I can't imagine what would happen if you guys lost such a big dollar project." Actually, he could imagine. They all would be fired.

Apparently they knew that too. Andrew growled at him. "Look, I think we all know that you have no plans of doing business with us so why don't you get lost!"

Robert's smirk turned into a look of anger. "Not before I get some answers first." He turned to look at Michael. "Tell me Michael, the minute after Sara broke up with me did she drag you off to her bed or were the two of you already sleeping with each other while she was with me?"

Michael blinked. The steeled mask he had put on his face the moment Robert walked into the building slipped away and one of bemusement replaced it. "What?"

"Sara broke up with you?" Lily asked, eyes wide and mouth left open. Andrew just laughed.

Robert ignored both of them and kept his gaze on Michael. "She didn't tell you?"

Michael shook his head, a little stunned, but on the inside his heart was practically leaping for joy at the news that Sara broke things off with Robert. But he wondered what that meant, especially for him, for them.

Michael's thoughts were interrupted by Robert's snort. "Well, I'm quite surprised. I was sure she would have run off to you the second she broke things off with me." He threw Michael a slight smirk. "Perhaps she found someone else. I heard she was quite the wild child back in college which isn't too hard to believe. I mean, have you seen her drunk? She's quite the little minx. Why sometimes I would purposely get her drunk so-"

"Not. Another. Word. Out. Of. Your. Mouth. Robert," Michael said, gritting his teeth with each warning word. He knew the subject of alcohol was sensitive to Sara and by God he will not let this man insult her right in front of him.

Both Lily and Andrew were surprised at Michael's dangerous tone. They had never seen Michael so angry before. It was rather frightening.

Robert's eyes narrowed at Michael. "Your threats mean nothing to me."

Michael grew angrier by the second. He stood up to show the man sitting in front of him just how threatening he can be, but he saw Sara with Lindsey standing behind her in the doorway of his office.

"Sara?"

Everyone turned their head to the doorway and saw Sara walk into Michael's office. On her face was a mixture of anger and annoyance. Robert stood up as she walked towards him.

"Sara-" Robert began but Sara cut him off.

"What the hell are you doing here, Robert?" Sara demanded. Her voice was calm and collected but it held so much anger in it. Like the calm before a storm. Lily and Andrew shuddered. If they thought Michael raising his voice was scary, Sara not raising her voice was just as, if not more, frightening.

Robert nearly growled. "You know damn well why I'm here! How could you do that to me? After everything?"

"It was rather easy what with you being the way you are," Sara said narrowing her eyes.

"The way I am? Look around you Sara! The company you keep!" Robert said throwing his arm around the room, motioning to Lindsey, Lily, Andrew, and Michael. "You have Lindsey who's the most insufferable bitch I've ever met," he then motioned to Lily and Andrew, "they have nothing but sex on their minds," he then finally motioned to Michael, "and you have Michael who gets into drunken bar fights and gets arrested for them."

"You don't know them like I do, and you also don't know me at all," Sara said.

"I've known you for years! That man has only known you for a few months!" Robert was practically shouting.

But Sara kept her cool. "And yet he knows far more about me than you do. They all know me better than you do."

"I'm a thousand times better than all four of them put together!"

Sara glared at him. "You're so full of yourself, Robert. You know what you need?"

"What?" Robert said in a snarl.

"This."

Sara swung her right arm and her fist connected right with his nose. Everyone gasped. Robert stumbled back, his hands reaching up to his nose which was now bleeding. Sara hissed from the pain throbbing in her knuckles and cradled her palm with her other hand. She glared at Robert who was swearing at her.

"You should leave Robert."

Robert growled incoherent words at her, but he stormed out holding his nose. Sara turned to Michael, Lily, and Andrew.

"I'm so sorry about this you guys," she apologized.

Andrew chuckled. "Are you kidding me? Seeing you punch Robert just very well made my day! I didn't know you had such a good right hook!"

"I didn't know either." Everyone laughed.

Lindsey stepped up to her friend. "Sara, you are officially my hero. I've wanted to do that for years."

Sara chuckled but then hissed in pain again when her fingertips brushed across her aching knuckles. Michael frowned.

"We should probably put some ice on that. Come on," he said, leading her out of his office and to the break room.

They heard Andrew's voice behind them. "Oh shit! The 'Beast' is coming!" But Michael ignored him. He wanted to tend to Sara's hand first. He'd worry about his raging boss later.

He opened the refrigerator door, but he couldn't find any ice packs. So he got a plastic baggie and stuck some ice cubes in it. "Here, let me see your hand."

Sara held out her hand to Michael and he gingerly took it into his, placing the bag of ice gently on her knuckles with his other hand. He didn't let go of her hand. She smiled.

"Thank you, Dr. Michael," she said.

Michael chuckled. "You're very welcome."

Both of them looked up from their hands into each other's faces. Michael smiled at her and Sara felt a blush coming on. She looked down back at their joined hands. Both his touch and the ice were making the pain go away. Sara smiled again.

"So you broke up with Robert?" Michael asked for clarification.

Sara looked back up at him. "Yes."

"Why?"

She looked away bashfully. "Um, well..."

"Scofield!"

Both Michael and Sara jumped at the voice of the 'Beast.' He stormed into the break room, absolutely fuming. Michael pulled his hand away from Sara's, and she immediately missed the contact.

"Sir-" Michael began...

"What the hell happened back there?" he demanded. "Why did Mr. Spencer storm out like that?"

"Because of me," Sara spoke up.

Michael's boss looked at her. "And you would be..?"

"Sara Tancredi," Sara said. "This is entirely my fault. Please don't penalize Michael when I'm to blame."

The 'Beast' blanched. "Wait, Tancredi as in Governor Tancredi?"

"Yes, the Governor is my father," Sara said. "You must understand that Robert had no intention of doing business with your firm. He was only here because of personal reasons concerning me and I'm afraid Michael got caught up in the middle of it."

"You're the governor's daughter?" he asked.

Sara nodded. "I am so sorry for causing such a scene."

"No, no," he said, not wanting to upset the daughter of the governor, "it's quite all right. I understand completely. Don't worry Mr. Scofield isn't in any trouble."

Sara smiled at him. "Thank you, sir," she said sincerely. "You know, the hospital I work at is thinking about adding a new wing. Perhaps your firm could..?"

Michael's boss smiled at her. "We'd be glad to." He looked down at his wrist watch. "Excuse me; I have a previous engagement I must attend to."

Both Michael and Sara nodded as he left the room. Michael turned to Sara.

"Wow, you charmed the 'Beast," he said smiling, "is there anything you can't do?"

Sara laughed. "I think a lot of that had to do with who my father is."

Michael laughed with her. "Well, it saved me from getting fired."

"Sara?"

Both Michael and Sara looked to the doorway to see Lindsey standing there.

"Sorry for interrupting, but Dr. Reilly just paged me and seeing as how we were supposed to be back at the hospital about twenty minutes ago, I'm guessing she's extremely pissed," she told them.

Sara winced, imagining the wrath Dr. Reilly would lay upon her and Lindsey when they got back to the hospital. She might have been able to charm Michael's boss but there was nothing she could do to charm her boss when she was angry. She turned to Michael.

"Sorry," she told him.

"It's okay," he said smiling, "I'll see you later."

Sara smiled. "Okay. Bye."

She and Lindsey walked out of the building and to Lindsey's car. Lindsey was grinning at Sara.

"What?" Sara asked.

Lindsey's grin grew. "Nothing, it's just that the two of you are just too cute together."

Sara bashfully looked away. "Well, you better wipe that grin off your face because I don't think Reilly will find it 'cute' at all when we get back."

Lindsey sighed. "You're right," she said, starting up her car. "So how did you calm down Michael's boss? He was so pissed!"

"I just mentioned my father and he just became nice."

Lindsey froze. Sara noticed. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"You do know that Robert's going to tell your father about this little incident, don't you?"

Sara paled at that realization. The first time she broke up with Robert, the confrontation with her father after wasn't exactly pretty. She could only imagine how he would react now and with Thanksgiving coming up in a couple days... Oh God. She was going to have to face her father soon.

"Sara?" Lindsey called out.

Sara barely heard her. The old man from this morning was right. A storm was coming.

---

"So you're spending Thanksgiving alone?" Andrew asked his best friend. A day had past since the 'Robert Office Incident' and things were getting back to normal. People were excited and getting ready for the couple of days they had off for Thanksgiving. The only thing better was Christmas break.

"LJ's spending it with his mom and her family and Linc's doing whatever he does, so yeah," Michael answered him.

"You could come with me to Michigan if you want to," Andrew offered.

Michael chuckled. "Nervous about meeting Lily's family?"

"Yes! You have to help me Michael! They're going to eat me alive!"

Michael chuckled again. "No, they won't," he assured him, "and if they try to you know Lily's more than capable to beat them back."

Andrew laughed at that and nodded. "So you're really going to spend Thanksgiving alone?"

"Yeah, I'm going to cook a big fat turkey just for myself," Michael joked.

"You cook?" Andrew joked as well. Michael socked him in the shoulder. Andrew just grinned. "Maybe you should invite Sara over and have her help you, _cook the turkey_, if you know what I mean," he said wiggling his eyebrows.

Michael shook his head at him and chuckled. "She's heading up to Springfield for Thanksgiving."

"Ah, probably to spend it at Governor Daddy's big mansion there," Andrew said.

"She sounded nervous when she told me though," Michael said.

"Maybe because of Robert, isn't he like good friends with the governor?" Andrew asked.

Michael nodded. He was wondering the same thing. He hoped Sara would be all right.

"So you guys are leaving tonight?"

"Yup. We want to go before the storm hits, you know. It would be a real bitch to travel in a storm," Andrew said.

Michael agreed.

---

Sara looked up at the dark cloudy sky as she walked up the long driveway of her father's mansion in Springfield, Illinois. The air was damp and it looked like it would start raining any minute now. She could only think of how fitting the weather was for that day, the day she was dreading, Thanksgiving. Ever since Governor Tancredi married Eileen, she had made sure that he was there for all the big holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. Sara was absolutely dreading seeing her father now, which is why she purposely arrived late so that her siblings would arrive before her, increasing the chance that her father wouldn't catch her alone.

Sara sighed as she rang the bell of her father's front door. It was cowardly for her to hide behind her siblings and her nieces and nephews, but she didn't want to be confronted by her father alone. He was the only person that could make her so angry, so riled up, that she would say something she would end up regretting later. He was the only one that could truly bring her down to her lowest points and then some. She didn't want that to happen. Sara took a deep breath as the door opened.

She was greeted with the smiling face of her younger sister, Cameron. "Hey Sara, it's about time you got here!" she exclaimed, letting her in. "I mean, I live across the country in California and I got here before you!"

Sara laughed. "Hey Cameron," she said as she walked inside.

"Auntie Sara!"

The two women turned to see their niece and nephew hanging off the arms of their stepbrother, Eileen's son from her previous marriage, Vincent. The twins let go of their uncle's arms and ran up to their aunt.

Sara bent down and gave both Angie and Connor a big hug. "Hey you two," she said smiling. Vincent came up to them. "Hey Vincent," she said.

Vincent smiled at her and pulled his step-sister into a big bear hug. "Hey little sis, good to see you!" He grinned. "Now I can dump the little ones on you and go help everyone in the kitchen."

Cameron laughed. "And by 'help' you mean eat all the food before we get to serve it at dinnertime."

Everyone laughed. Sara smiled at her stepbrother. "Okay, I'll keep an eye on the twins as long as you save me a slice of pumpkin pie."

"Done!" Vincent said, grinning and off he went towards the kitchen. The sound of Rose screaming "Vincent, don't touch that!" could be heard from the hallway.

Cameron chuckled. "I better intervene before Rose starts beating Vincent up with a rolling pin or something," she said shaking her head. "My crazy older siblings."

"Hey, I'm one of your 'crazy older siblings,' Cameron," Sara said to her little sister.

Cameron just laughed and scampered off towards the kitchen as well. Sara looked down at her niece and nephew. "So what do you two want to do while we wait for dinner?"

"Oh! I want to show you the picture dat I drew in school!" Angie said, jumping up and down excitedly.

"Okay." Sara held the twins' hands as they walked down the long hallway to the living room. Midway, they ran into Sara's father.

"You're here, Sara," Frank said with his usual strong tone.

Sara nodded. "Yeah." She took a good look at her father. He didn't look too happy. Yup, he did talk to Robert. Sara almost grimaced.

"The two of us need to talk," he said, "but we'll talk after dinner."

Sara nodded again. Frank Tancredi brushed past her towards his study, most likely to make a few phone calls or to work on some paperwork. Sara let out the breath she was holding. The worst was being put off for now. Angie and Connor stared up at their aunt.

"Is Grandpa mad at you Auntie Sara?" Connor asked.

Sara looked down at them. "I think so..."

"Why?" Angie asked her.

"It's really nothing," Sara told them, "you don't have to worry about it. Now show me those pictures you drew." She put on a smile for them.

Angie and Connor looked at each other but then decided to let it go and the three of them continued onto the living room. Sara looked out a window on the way. It had begun to rain.

---

Dinner went by nicely with the normal family chit chat, laughter, and catching up. But Sara was unable to fully enjoy the wonderful dinner. All throughout dinner, Sara felt her father's narrow eyes, set on her. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat numerous times.

"What about you Sara?"

Sara looked up from her plate. She completely blanked on the current conversation. She was so nervous for the upcoming 'talk' with her father that she wasn't paying any attention.

"Excuse me?" she said.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" Cameron asked.

"Oh, no, I actually just got out of a relationship recently," Sara answered.

"Oh, you broke up with Robert again?" Eileen asked. Obviously, Frank hadn't told her yet.

"Robert?" Rose asked. "Wait, what about that Michael guy Bill and I met at your apartment? We thought you were dating him."

Angie and Connor perked up at the mention of Michael's name. "Michael's so cool!" they both exclaimed.

Vincent raised an eyebrow at Sara and smirked. "Two guys Sara? I didn't know you had it in you!" he teased.

Sara shrunk in her chair, half in embarrassment, the other half in horror. With everyone talking at once she snuck a glance at her father. He was glaring at her. Eileen didn't notice her husband's glare at Sara but she did notice Sara's state of discomfort.

"Now, now," Eileen began in an admonishing tone, "you're all embarrassing her. Stop it now." Everyone became quiet. "Anyway, it's time for dessert. Sara, will you help me?"

Sara nodded and stood up from her chair, eager to get out of the dinning room. She followed her stepmother into the kitchen.

"So you really did break up with Robert again? Why?" Eileen asked. She wasn't reprimanding her. She just wanted to know.

"Because I realized that I made a wrong decision in going back to him," she answered, taking a pumpkin pie out of a box.

"So will you be hooking up with Michael anytime soon? Or has that already happened?" Eileen asked a small smile on her face.

A rosy hue appeared on Sara's cheeks. "No, we're not together. I think I should let some time pass before..."

Eileen nodded, understanding her stepdaughter completely. "Well, what ever you do, I just hope you're happy with it."

Sara smiled. She was very grateful to have some support. She was going to need it to get through the night. The two of them went back to the dinning room with dessert in hand.

---

Sara stood outside the door of her father's study. She knew that inside her father was waiting for her. It was late now and everyone had retired to their rooms for the night. Everyone except for Sara and her father. She took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves.

She opened the door slowly and quietly. Her father stood at the large glass window, looking out it. Outside it was really pouring. Rain drops pounded the pavement and grass outside by the tons. Sara took a step forward, but then a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, making her gasp out of momentary fright. Her father turned around when he heard her.

"Sara."

"Dad."

Father and daughter stood, staring at each other for a moment. Everything was silent, save for the storm growing outside.

Frank Tancredi stared hard at his daughter as he spoke to her. "You broke up with Robert again," he stated.

Sara nodded. "Yes."

"Why?"

"Because he's not right for me."

"Not right for you?" The volume of his voice rose. "Sara, he's a good man with an excellent job. He loves you and is able to provide you with whatever you want. You can't get men any better than that!"

Sara just shook her head at her father, making his anger grow even more. She could see it in his eyes. But Sara wasn't going to chicken out now.

"You're doing this to spite me, aren't you? You're doing this just to make me angry."

Sara remained silent. Her father spoke on.

"You will go back to Robert and you will apologize to him for punching him," he told her.

"I'll apologize for punching him, but I won't go back to him. I'm through with Robert for good," Sara said, "There's no chance of us getting back together ever."

"Sara, what is _wrong_ with you?"

"There is nothing _wrong_ with me," Sara said, getting angry.

"Then why are you doing this to yourself?"

"Doing what Dad?"

"Ruining your life!" he yelled. "For some other man that gets into bar fights, you're willing to give up a perfectly good man like Robert!"

Sara shook her head. "Don't go there, Dad," she warned him. She didn't like that he was judging Michael when he doesn't even know him in the first place. He has no right.

"Really Sara, I thought you had better judgment," her father told her with disdain.

"He's not the reason why I broke up with Robert!"

"Then why Sara? Tell me why!" His voice was getting dangerously high. Another bolt of lightning thundered outside, but Sara didn't let it scare her this time.

"Because he's just like you!" she yelled. "Because I don't want to end up like mom, a bitter drunk driven to her death because of a man who doesn't even love her at all!"

_SMACK._

Sara brought her hand up to her cheek. It stung and was most likely red with a handprint. She had not seen her father raise his palm. She had not seen him swing it at her face. It all happened too fast for Sara to see anything. But she definitely felt it. He hit her. He never hit her before. She turned her head back to face her father.

His eyes widened at the realization of what he had just done. "Sara..."

She didn't want to hear it. She didn't want to hear another word from her father. She spun on her heels and bolted for the door.

"Sara!" she heard her father call out for her as she ran down the hallways, not stopping.

She threw open the front door and ran down his front steps in the pouring rain towards her car. Another bolt of lighting flashed across the sky with a sickening crash. The storm was getting worse. Sara quickly got into her car, soaked to the bone, and sped away from her father's mansion.

Sara drove blindly in the rain. She found herself on the highway heading back to Chicago. The highway was bare. No one was crazy enough to be driving in this kind of weather. Her eyes stung hot with tears that she refused to let fall.

Too distracted by her anger and her hurt and blinded by the rain, Sara didn't see the piece of metal in the middle of the road. She drove right over it. The piece of metal shredded her tire and her car jumped and jerked. Sara slammed her foot on her brake pedal but the rain had made the road slippery, thus causing her car to skid. She screamed as water splashed and crashed into her closed windows from the puddles her car drove into. Images of her mother crashing her car came into her mind. No! She would not let what happened to her mom happen to her. She calmed herself enough to regain control of her car and managed to get it to stop skidding. She was just lucky there was nothing out here for her to crash into.

Once her car came to a complete stop, Sara let out the breath she was holding in. Her hands were shaking on the steering wheel, both from the frightening experience she had just gone through and from the cold. She took her shaking hands off the wheel and wrapped them around her shoulders, taking a few deep breaths to calm herself down.

Once her head was clear enough she then thought of her current situation. She was stuck in the middle of nowhere dead smack in a storm that was getting worse by the minute. Sara reached for her phone in her purse. She flipped it open. She'd be damned if she called her father for help, but there was no one else. Lindsey was in New York visiting her parents, Lily and Andrew were in Michigan, and Michael...

_Michael..._

---

_Ring. Ring._

Michael looked up from his desk. He heard the faint ringing of his cell phone from inside his room. Who would be calling him this late? Michael sighed. Only Lincoln would call him this late. He stood up from his desk of blueprints and sketches in frustration and headed to his bedroom.

He grabbed his phone off his nightstand and his eyes became wide. The display read "Sara." He quickly answered.

"Sara? Is something wrong?"

"Michael... I need your help..." She sounded so scared, so frightened, he didn't like hearing her like that.

"Sara what happened?" he asked, terribly worried.

"I got a flat tire... and I'm stuck on the way to Chicago coming from Springfield..." Sara said through chattering teeth. "Can you come get me?" she asked meekly.

"I'll be there as soon as I can. Stay in your car." Michael shut his phone and bolted out of his room. He grabbed his coat and an umbrella from the closet and scrambled out of his apartment.

---

Sara shivered. She rubbed her icy hands up and down her arms. In her hurry to get away from her father she had forgotten to put on her coat, and it also didn't help that the heater in her car didn't work. Her hair was wet and clung to her face in thick wavy strands. She sneezed. She was going to catch a cold if she was to stay out in the cold any longer.

'_Michael, where are you?'_

Almost like on cue, she saw headlights in the distance. The car drove up to her car and out stepped a dark figure holding up an umbrella. She immediately knew it was Michael. He walked up to her front door and knocked on her window. "Sara?"

Sara opened her front door. Michael held the umbrella over her head as she stepped out. She looked up into his eyes, relieved and completely happy to see him.

"Michael..." she sniffled.

"Come on," he said leading her to his car, "let's get you out of this rain."

---

He took her back to his place. During the drive back to Chicago he could tell that Sara was very upset about something and that she really needed someone with her tonight. And his place was closer anyways. He didn't want to have to drive anymore than he had to in the storm.

The two of them walked into his apartment, leaving small wet puddles on his wooden floor near the entrance. Michael looked at Sara. She had her arms wrapped tightly around herself, looking completely vulnerable. She was drenched. Her hair was dark from the water and her clothes were clinging to her body. Quite nicely actually... Michael nearly smacked himself. She's standing there completely frozen to the bone and here he was slipping into sexual fantasies. It was because he had seen her in her underwear that night. That image was forever burned into his mind.

"I'll get you some dry clothes to wear," he said to her.

Sara nodded and followed him to his bedroom. He pulled open a couple of drawers and produced some grey sweats along with a black T-shirt.

"You can change in the bathroom over there," he said pointing to a door in his bedroom, "If you want to use the shower to warm up, feel free to. I'll go make you some tea."

Sara nodded again taking the clothes from him while not saying a word. She gave him a weak smile and disappeared into the bathroom. Michael heard the shower taps turn on. He walked out of his bedroom and headed towards his kitchen to make some tea for Sara. As he filled the kettle with water and set it on the stove, he wondered what had happen to her. No doubt it had something to do with her father seeing as she was coming from her father's place in Springfield.

The kettle whistled, signaling to him that the water was ready. He poured it into two mugs and stuck a couple of tea bags in them. He heard soft footsteps and looked up to see Sara now dressed in his old clothes. Michael froze. They were just a pair of sweats and a T-shirt, yet on Sara... God! He did not know why seeing her dressed in his clothes was such a turn on, but it was. He realized it was a rather intimate gesture. And he liked the feeling it gave him.

"Is the tea ready?" Sara asked quietly. When he didn't respond immediately, she called out to him. "Michael?"

Michael shook himself out of his stupor. "Uh yeah," he said, handing her a mug.

Sara smiled at him and took a seat at his counter, sipping the hot liquid, letting it warm her insides. "Thanks."

Michael smiled back at her and sat down as well. "So you want to tell me what happened?"

Sara swallowed her tea and set the mug down. She sighed. "I got into an argument with my father," she told him quietly. "And I ran away, foolishly into the rain. My tire caught onto something in the road and I lost control of my car."

Michael paled. Sara could have died tonight. She saw the look of fear on his face, fear for her. "It's okay Michael," she said. "I'm okay now, thanks to you."

Michael nodded slowly, watching her sip her tea. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"Yes," she said giving him a smile. "Thank you so much for getting me. I'm sorry for bothering you so late."

"No, it's okay. I'm just glad that you're all right."

A flash of lightning thundered outside, causing Sara to jump slightly. Michael frowned.

"Are you afraid of storms?" he asked her.

"Now I am," she told him.

"I was too, back when I was little," Michael said. "During storms, my mom would gather me and my brother up and stick us under a ping pong table with a bunch of pillows and blankets. We would sit and lie there together, waiting for the storm to pass. I don't know how, but sitting under that table with my mom and brother made my fears go away."

Sara smiled at that. "You wouldn't happen to have a ping pong table here, do you?"

Michael laughed. "Sorry, I don't, but I do have a bed." He then realized how suggestive that sounded and quickly added, "I mean, you can sleep in my bed tonight and I'll take the couch."

Sara smiled at him. "I can't take your bed, Michael."

"I insist. You had a rough night and need some rest."

Sara looked down at the mug in her hands, smiling. "Okay. Thank you, Michael."

"You're welcome."

They smiled at each other and finished off their tea. Sara followed Michael back to his bedroom. He got some extra blankets out from his closet.

"If you get cold, here are some extra blankets for you," he said, handing a couple to Sara.

She took them from him. "Thank you Michael."

Michael nodded. "Sweet dreams, Sara."

Sara smiled at him. "Sweet dreams to you too, Michael."

He smiled back at her and then left the room. Sara laid the blankets on top of Michael's comforter and climbed into his bed, laying her head on his pillow. The pillow smelled like him. Sara turned her face, burying it into his pillow and inhaled his scent, letting it tempt her into the sweet world of dreams.

---

Sara woke up, blinking her eyes open. At first she didn't recognize her surroundings, but then realized she was in Michael's room. She smiled and sat up. She looked out the window. It had finally stopped raining. The storm was over. She was glad for that. Sara flipped the bed covers off her legs and stood up from the bed. She headed outside to find Michael.

He was in the kitchen, cooking breakfast. Or at least he was trying to cook breakfast. Sara stood amused, watching him trying to cook an omelette, which he was failing miserably at.

"Need help?" she offered.

Michael turned his head at the sound of her voice. He smiled sheepishly at her. "Uh yeah."

Sara chuckled and came up beside him, cracking eggs.

"My brother was the cook in the family. I live off take out and pop tarts," Michael told her.

Sara laughed as she cooked a perfect omelette. "Well, pop tarts are good, especially the brown sugar ones," she said, smiling up at him.

"I have that kind," he said. "Would you like some to go with your omelette?"

"Sure," Sara said with a chuckle.

Soon breakfast was cooked and the two of them were sitting together eating it.

"So did you sleep well?" Michael asked her.

Sara nodded. "Yes, very well, thank you." She took a bit out of her pop tart. "Your bed's really comfy."

"I'm glad."

The two of them sat smiling at each other. Sara looked down. "Michael," she began, looking back up, "thank you for all that you've done for me."

"Anytime Sara."

Sara blushed slightly under his gaze and Michael smiled at that. He inched his hand towards hers on the counter. His fingertips gently brushed her hand before he softly took it completely into his own hand. Sara looked down at him holding her hand. She let his fingers curl around her palm, and let her thumb gently caress the tips of those fingers. She looked up to his face, into his eyes.

Both of them felt their breath hitch when their eyes met. Blue-green orbs met soft hazel ones. They gazed at each other for what seemed like forever. Finally, Michael found his ability to move again and began to lean forward...

_Ring. Ring._

Michael inwardly groaned. It was Sara's cell phone this time. She quickly said "Excuse me," and ran off to find her phone. Michael sighed and took their empty plates and set them in his sink. He followed after Sara.

"Yes, I'm all right, Mom," she said into the phone. "Yes, I did leave last night, I'm sorry." Pause. "No, I'm all right, really. There's no need-" Another pause. "Okay then."

She shut her phone and looked up at Michael. "Sorry, that was my step mom. She was worried about me." Michael nodded, understanding. "Can you take me home?" Sara asked. "She's on her way to my apartment right now."

"Okay," Michael said a little solemnly.

---

Michael walked Sara up to her apartment door with his hands in his pockets. Sara stood in front of her door, letting out a little sigh. She turned to Michael. "Thanks."

Michael nodded. "Anytime." He looked around himself at nothing and then back at her. "I guess I'll see you later."

"Yeah," she said. "Bye."

"Bye." Michael turned and began to walk away.

"Michael!"

He turned around. Sara walked those few steps towards him. She stared up at his face for a few seconds. Then she stood up on the balls of her feet and pressed her lips to Michael's cheek in a small kiss. Michael blinked as she stood back down on the flats of her feet. She smiled a coy smile at him.

"Thank you," she said before turning around just as coyly as her smile was and disappeared into her apartment.

Michael blinked twice and brought his hand up to the cheek that Sara had kissed. He grinned to himself and began walking down the hall towards the elevator feeling as light as a feather.


	12. Life is Good

A/N: Finally, I get this chapter out! Sorry for the wait! This chapter is A LOT shorter than past chapters, but I still like it and I hope you guys do too. So enjoy! 

And as usual, thanks goes to my beta-reader Jen for the look through!

* * *

Michael turned over onto his side in his bed, burying his face in his pillow. He breathed in deeply and smiled. It had been a couple of days since Sara spent the night, yet her scent still lingered on his pillow. The first night he slept in his bed after Sara did, Michael decided that he rather liked smelling "her" first thing in the morning. The only thing better would be having her in bed...with him... snuggled to his chest...with his arms wrapped around her...

_Ring. Ring._

Michael lifted his head to look at his cell phone which lay on his nightstand next to his bed. With a heavy arm he reached over to grab it, flipping it open to see that his brother was calling him.

"Linc?"

"Hey Mike," Lincoln's deep voice on the other line said, "I need a favor."

Michael inwardly groaned as he sat up in his bed. "What is it?"

"Don't worry, it's nothing bad," Linc said detecting the slight irritability in his brother's voice, "I just need you to take LJ to the movies today."

"The movies?"

"Yeah," Lincoln said, "I promised him I would take him today, but I can't. Need to work an extra shift if I'm gonna make rent this month. Please Michael; he was really looking forward to this."

"Okay, but he's going to be disappointed," Michael said, referring to his nephew.

"I know, I know," Lincoln said, "tell him that I'll make it up to him with a cool Christmas present."

"You know," Michael began, "I could just help you out with your rent if you're in a tight spot-"

"No."

Lincoln's voice was direct and abrupt. He'd be damned before he took money from his little brother. He had too much pride to do that. That and he didn't like being a burden to him any more than Michael did. Knowing this, Michael gave in.

"Fine, okay."

---

"Why won't you just tell me what happened?" Vincent asked his younger stepsister.

Sara gave him a weak smile before dropping her gaze back down into a mug of coffee. He kept pestering her to tell him what happened that Thanksgiving night, but she was being tight-lipped about everything. As silent and as stubborn as a tree. She didn't even tell Eileen what happened when she showed up at her apartment the day after the storm, no matter how much the older woman pried and prodded her to get it out.

Vincent let out a sigh and shook his head. "Dad won't talk, you won't talk, and mom's going out of her wits with the whole thing." Vincent set a worried gaze on his little sister. "She and I both know that something big happened between the two of you to make you run away in the middle of a storm." He leaned back in his seat. "So tell me," he lightly demanded.

Sara glanced up at her stepbrother. "I really don't want to talk about it, Vince. It really isn't a big deal," she said, downplaying the whole thing. Her cheek still stung every time she thought of that Thanksgiving night when her father smacked her.

"Fine," Vincent said in defeat, slouching in his seat. He stared at the auburn haired girl sitting across from him in the diner. He was rather protective of all of his little stepsisters and he didn't like seeing them down. "When you feel like talking to someone, just know that I'm only a phone call away. I got your back, even if the entire world is against you, I got your back."

Sara looked at him and gave him a smile. "I know. Thanks." She finished off the last of her coffee and let out a soft sigh. "So you're going back to New York soon?"

"Nope, not yet," Vincent said, a grin forming on his face, "I got another beautiful girl to visit here in Chicago."

Sara raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Who?"

"The daughter of my editor," Vincent said. He was a novelist living up in New York where his editor also lived. A couple of his novels had made the New York Times Best Sellers list. "I met her a couple of months ago, when she came for a visit."

"She made that much of an impression on you to make you chase after her all the way out here?" Sara asked incredulously.

Vincent shrugged. "What can I say? There's just something about her," he said with a grin. "Plus her mom asked me to drop by and make sure she got back home safely from her flight."

Sara shook her head with amusement. "It sounds like you're falling in love." She smiled at her stepbrother. "Have fun, but do try to behave yourself."

"I always do, Sara. I'm a perfect gentleman," he said, chuckling. Sara just shook her head again, holding back her own chuckle. "What about you?" Vincent asked, "What's on your agenda today?"

"I'm taking Angie and Connor out while Rose and Bill go shopping for their Christmas presents."

"Well, I hope you have a fun filled day with those two hellions."

Sara smiled. "I always do."

---

Michael got out of his car after he parked it along the street of a nice little suburban neighborhood. Very different from the kind of neighborhood he grew up in. He let out a small sigh as he walked up the driveway of a white house, pulling his coat more tightly around himself to keep the cold winter weather out. When he reached the front door, he rang the doorbell and waited until the door opened, revealing his brother's ex, Lisa Rix.

"Hi Michael," Lisa said, letting him in, "LJ is almost ready. Make yourself at home."

Michael nodded, but he remained standing politely near the door. He and Lisa respected each other, but they were never close. At the very least, they were pleasant acquaintances.

Lisa walked over to the base of her winding staircase and hollered upstairs to LJ that Michael was here. Michael heard the thudding of footsteps from above and soon he saw his twelve-year old nephew descend the stairs.

"Hey Uncle Mike."

"Hey LJ. You ready?"

LJ nodded. He turned to his mom. "Bye Mom," he said.

Lisa kissed the top of his head which earned a small frown from her son but she smiled it off. "Bye."

Michael smiled at the motherly display of affection. It brought back memories of his mom. First the fond memories, but then the not-so fond memories after her death came right after. He looked down in an attempt to push those memories away.

Lisa turned to Michael and he lifted his head back up. She had a silent look that told him to take care of her son. He nodded at her. He would. "Come on LJ," Michael said. "Bye Lisa."

LJ waved to his mother as they left his house and she stood in the doorway, waving back. Michael and his nephew walked in silence to his car. Michael could already tell that LJ was disappointed that Lincoln wasn't here himself.

"Hey, I know you're bummed that your dad isn't here, but we're still going to have fun today," Michael said as he got into his car. "We're gonna watch that PG-13 horror movie that's out."

That put a grin on his nephew's face.

---

At the same moment, Sara was also in a little suburban neighborhood, walking up to a big white house. Only this one belonged to her older sister Rose and her husband Bill. She rang the doorbell and then rubbed her hands together to warm them up while she waited.

The door opened revealing Rose. "Hey Sara, come in, come in!"

Sara gave her older sister a smile and walked inside.

"Thanks again for taking the twins today," Rose said as she walked back to her kitchen sink. She had been washing the dishes when Sara came.

"No problem," Sara said, looking around. "Where are they?"

"Upstairs, Bill is still getting them ready."

Sara nodded Rose rinsed off the last plate and stuck it onto the dish rack. She turned towards her sister. Like Vincent, she too wanted to know what happened to Sara and their father that Thanksgiving night.

"I talked to Dad the other day," Rose stated.

"That's… that's nice," Sara said, trying to sound indifferent.

Rose rolled her eyes. Sara was always trying to downplay all her problems and act indifferent, but Rose knew better. She opened her mouth to demand that her little sister tell her what happened. "Sara-"

"Rose! I can't find Angie's jacket!" Bill called from upstairs.

Rose sighed and rolled her eyes again. "Excuse me one moment," she told her sister before bounding upstairs. In under a minute she found Angie's missing jacket. She looked to her husband and then had to stifle a giggle. "Why don't you get yourself cleaned up while I finish with the twins?" she suggested upon seeing how wet his shirt was from giving the twins a bath.

Bill looked relieved. Getting the twins ready for the day by himself was a bit too much for him to handle. He kissed his wife on the cheek. "Thanks."

Rose smiled as her husband retreated out of the room and then turned to her son and daughter. She wrapped the jacket around Angie's shoulders. "You're Auntie Sara is here."

The twins cheered.

Rose smiled. "Now, I want the two of you guys to promise me something, okay?" The twins nodded. "Promise me that you'll behave extra special for your Auntie Sara today, okay? Don't cause any trouble for her today."

"Why?" Connor asked.

"It's because your Auntie Sara has been having a rough time these past couple of days. She's a little down at the moment."

"She's sad?" Connor asked.

Rose nodded. "A little bit, I think."

"Is it because Grandpa was being a meanie to her that day?" Angie asked. She was the more astute one out of the pair.

"Yeah," Rose said, "so try and make her smile today, and then maybe Santa will get the two of you exactly what you want for Christmas."

The twins cheered. "Okay!"

---

"Wow, the lines are pretty long," LJ commented as he and his uncle walked up to the ticket stand to the theater.

"I guess we shouldn't have stopped for those tacos before, huh?" Michael said with a chuckle. "Come on."

The two of them got into one of the lines and waited. LJ looked around at the other people in lines. His eyes fell onto an auburn-haired woman with two little kids. Without realizing he was talking aloud, he said, "She's pretty hot for a mom!"

Michael frowned at his nephew's language. What was Lincoln teaching him? Michael opened his mouth to admonish his nephew but then he saw who LJ was gawking at.

"Sara?!" Michael was horrified. He felt like smacking his nephew upside the head for his rude behavior.

Sara turned and saw Michael. "Michael!" Her mouth curved into a grin at the sight of him.

The twins' ears perked up and they turned as well. "Michael!" They cheered happily.

"You know her?" LJ turned to his uncle, becoming more embarrassed by the second.

Michael ignored his nephew, the answer to his question kind of obvious. He tried to compose himself. "I'm really sorry about what my nephew here said about you," he said to Sara.

Sara turned to LJ. "Wait, you were the one that made that 'hot mom' comment? And that was about me?"

LJ slowly nodded, sheepishly. "Sorry."

Sara gave a small laugh. "It's okay. I'm kind of flattered by it, but these two," she said placing her hands on the shoulders of Angie and Connor, "are my niece and nephew. I don't have any kids myself."

"So I guess that would just make you 'hot,' right?" LJ said, put at ease by Sara's easy manner.

Sara chuckled. "I guess so."

"But it's cold out!" Angie said, not understanding the other meaning for the word 'hot.'

"Sweetie, he's just trying to say that I'm pretty," Sara explained to her niece.

"So why doesn't he just say that you're pretty?" Angie asked.

LJ became red with embarrassment. Michael chuckled. "Kind of sad when a six year old has better manners than you, huh LJ?" Michael commented to his nephew. Everyone laughed.

"Michael, are you here to watch a movie?" Angie asked him.

He nodded at the six year old. "Yup."

"Us too!" Angie exclaimed, excitedly. "We're watching 'Finding Nemo'!"

"Really?" Michael asked. Angie nodded. He was struck with an idea. "What a coincidence, so are we."

"What?!" LJ said. Michael elbowed him to hush him up.

"Really?" Sara asked, raising an eyebrow. Michael nodded. She smiled. "Then we should all sit together," Sara said before stepping up to the ticket booth. She was next in line. Michael began to grin. Once Sara got her tickets, she turned to Michael and said, "We'll save you guys some seats inside."

Michael nodded. "Thanks." He watched as Sara led the twins into the theater. He then turned to see the not-so happy face of his nephew.

"Finding Nemo?" LJ said indignantly, "Uncle Mike, I'm not sitting through a kiddie movie just so you can sit next to your girlfriend."

"Sara's not my girlfriend."

"Okay," LJ said, still with indignation, "I'm not sitting through a kiddie movie just so you can get yourself a girlfriend."

"You do this for me and I'll buy you an Xbox for Christmas."

That changed LJ's attitude. "Deal," he said, "but that doesn't mean I'm going to enjoy the movie."

---

LJ ended up liking the movie a whole lot, despite what he said before. After the movie, the group of five went for pizza and games at a nearby arcade.

"My favorite character's Dory!" Angie exclaimed as they all sat at a table, pizza slices in hand. Her twin brother nodded. Dory was his favorite character in the movie too.

"I like the turtle, Crush," LJ said.

"What about you, Michael?" Angie asked.

"I think I have to say that I like Gill the best. His plan to escape the fish tank was pretty cool," Michael said. He looked to Sara. "What about you Sara?"

"Marlin," Sara immediately said. She looked down and smiled a solemn smile. "I know he was kind of smothering with Nemo, but that just showed how much he cared for his son. And in the end he learned not to be so overbearing and still show his love for his child. I thought that was really sweet."

Michael looked at Sara carefully. He was sensing a lot of underlining feelings within Sara's choice of her favorite character.

Angie shook her empty cup and straw. "Can I get some more lemonade?" she asked.

Sara looked up. "Okay."

Michael intervened. "I'll take her." He looked at the six year old. "Come on, Angie."

Angie smiled up at Michael and got up to follow him to refill her drink. Luckily for them, the place they were at allowed free refills. Michael took her cup and began to refill her drink.

"Angie," Michael began, "can I ask you a question?" The six year old nodded. "Is there something bothering your Auntie Sara?"

"My mommy said that Auntie Sara's sad because Grandpa was being a big meanie to her on Thanksgiving," Angie said pouting.

"I see," Michael said. He knew Sara had an argument with her father on Thanksgiving. She had brushed it off back at his apartment, but now he was beginning to think that the argument had affected her more than she let on.

Angie nodded at him. "My mommy told me and Connor to make Auntie Sara smile today, so she would be happy again." She paused and then grinned up at Michael. "I'm glad you're here because Auntie Sara's always smiling when she's with you!"

Michael smiled at that. With Angie's drink refilled with cold lemonade, the two of them made their way back to the table, where Sara was sitting by herself.

"Where are LJ and Connor?" Michael asked as he sat next to her. Sara pointed and Michael followed the direction of her finger and saw the two boys on the Dance Dance Revolution machine. LJ was teaching him how to play.

"Oh! That looks like fun!" Angie said excitedly. She turned to her aunt. "Can I go play with them?"

Sara smiled at her niece and nodded. Angie ran off to join her twin and LJ. Michael turned to the woman beside him. "So…" he began, "Angie tells me you're kind of down in the dumps."

"Why would she say that?" Sara asked him.

"She says it has something to do with what happened between you and your dad on Thanksgiving."

Sara sighed. "It seems like everyone's trying to figure out what happened that night."

"So what happened?"

"Michael…" Sara began, fully intent on telling him to leave it alone, but her eyes caught a hold of his gaze and had her frozen.

Michael's blue-green eyes looked straight and deeply into her eyes. The action wasn't intrusive like it would be with someone else. Michael's eyes were simply searching, asking for an answer. They weren't prying and prodding her for an answer, like how it was with her stepmother, her stepbrother, and her sister.

Finally able to shift her gaze away from Michael's eyes, Sara whispered, "He hit me."

Michael blinked, a slight shock registering on his face. "Your father hit you?"

Sara slowly nodded. "He smacked me across the face, but now that I think about it, I guess I kind of deserved it," she said, remembering how she basically accused her father of not loving her mother at all and also of killing her.

"Has he…has he hit you before?" Michael asked her.

It was Sara's turned to blink. He was asking her if Frank Tancredi was an abusive father. "Oh, no! My father's not abusive. He just wasn't around when I was growing up. That was the first and only time he hit me. That's probably why it shocked me so much."

"R-right…" Michael said shakily, remembering memories from the past. Sara picked up on this.

"Were…were you abused as a kid, Michael?" Sara gently asked him.

Michael looked away from her. "The people in the foster care programs aren't always nice," he said as he remembered his foster father beating him and locking him up in the darkness.

Suddenly, Michael felt something warm upon his hand. He looked down and saw that Sara had just laid her hand on top of his, to comfort him. Michael moved his fingers apart and Sara took the opportunity to lace her fingers with his. She gave his hand a tight squeeze and Michael welcomed the warmth she was giving him. Michael finally looked up, to look into Sara's eyes, and found a soothing, calming force within them. Her hazel eyes, as they gazed over him, seemed to be washing away the painful memories of his past. Michael could only hope that he had the same affect on her. Sara gave him a gentle smile. Apparently he did.

Sara let out a soft sigh and then looked towards where LJ was teaching the twins how to step on the arrows of the DDR arcade game to the songs it was blasting out. "You know, I kind of envy them for having such happy normal childhoods," Sara said.

Michael nodded with her. "Yeah, I do too."

The two of them looked at each other. Sara gave him another smile. "At least life's good now though."

Michael smiled back, glancing briefly at their joined hands. "Yeah, life is good at the moment."

---

Sara buckled the now tired out twins into the back seat of her car. Connor gave a small yawn. Angie was already asleep. The five of them had spent the rest of the day just hanging out at the arcade playing games. It was now sundown. Once her niece and nephew were buckled in safely, Sara turned to face Michael and LJ.

"I had a lot of fun today," she said with a smile.

"We did too," Michael said, returning her smile.

Sara looked to LJ. "It was nice meeting you, LJ."

The adolescent grinned. "It was nice meeting you too."

Sara smiled again. "I'll see you around, Michael."

"Bye," Michael said.

Sara got into her car and drove away. Michael kept his gaze on her car until it disappeared around a street corner. LJ saw this and looked at his uncle carefully.

"You really do have the hots for her, don't you Uncle Mike?" LJ asked with a smug grin.

Michael chuckled. "You keep that up and you're not getting that Xbox."

"Hey!" LJ cried out, but he knew that his uncle was just joking.


	13. Snowballs, Cocoa, Ear muffs, Pancakes

A/N: Hey there everyone! Here's the next chapter. Really long chapter title, huh? 

This chapter is a special Christmas chapter and my Christmas present to all of my readers. And to those that don't celebrate Christmas, it's my Hanukkah/Kwanza/insert holiday here gift to you! I hope you like it! 

And a very special thanks to my beta reader Jen for the master beta-read! 

Enjoy!

* * *

"Do you think she'll like it?"

Michael smiled a warm smile at his friend. A hint of a chuckle tickled his lips. Andrew walked beside him, a little nervous, holding a long velvet box containing a silver diamond pendant necklace, his Christmas present for Lily.

"Yeah, she'll like it. She'll love it even," Michael told him, "don't be so nervous."

"I can't help it," Andrew said, "it's the first Christmas we're going to spend together and I don't wanna mess it up, you know?"

The chuckle finally escaped Michael's mouth. "She's going to go crazy over it, now shut up about it!"

Andrew laughed and then tucked the box into his coat pocket for safe keeping. "Okay, okay." He grinned at his friend. "So, did you get Sara anything?" he teased.

Michael let out a long breath causing a puff of steam to come out of his mouth. He shook his head. "I don't know what to get her."

"Flowers, chocolate, and maybe even a teddy bear would be a good start," Andrew suggested.

Michael chuckled again. "Maybe," Michael said thinking about Andrew's gift suggestion, but he wanted it to be a bit more special than that. "Hopefully something will come to me before Christmas is over."

Andrew nodded as he kicked snow off the sidewalk as he trekked over it. "So what are you doing for Christmas? The usual?"

"Yup. Christmas Eve party at the firm, Christmas Day lunch with Lincoln and LJ, then probably drinks with Linc at night," Michael said.

"Good luck at the office party," Andrew said sympathetically. "Remember what happened last year?

"You mean Bob with the eggnog incident?" Michael said with a laugh, "I'm pretty sure someone will keep it from him this year."

"Yeah, and Kathy over in HR is probably gonna try and get you under the mistletoe with her again," Andrew said with a grin.

Michael made a face and Andrew just laughed.

---

The days leading up to Christmas Eve went by like a flash. The little squares marked "Christmas Eve" and "Christmas Day" on the hospital office wall stared back at Sara. The week before she had already delivered her Christmas presents to her family. The reason for that being that she was not planning on heading up to the Tancredi household in Springfield for Christmas like she did normally. Sara sighed. It has been nearly a month since she last spoke to her father, since the 'slapping' incident, and she still hasn't made amends with him. She was too stubborn and had too much pride to admit she was wrong, even if she was. That trait of hers was probably the one thing she inherited from her father.

Sara tore her eyes away from the calendar and focused them on the paperwork on her desk. The hospital was quiet what with most of the staff heading home early for the holidays.

"You still here?"

Sara looked up and saw her superior, Dr. Aurora Reilly, standing in the doorway. Wise with age and tough as nails, Dr. Reilly was both highly respected and feared by the other young doctors. Sara hoped she would one day reach the skill that Reilly had with a scalpel. Sara slightly shrugged. "Yeah."

Dr. Reilly had her hands on her hips. "Don't you have a family to go home to? I mean, it is Christmas Eve after all."

"Nah, I'm good here," Sara said, going back to the paperwork.

Dr. Reilly shook her head. She strode over to Sara's desk and yanked the paperwork out from under her nose. "Go home, Tancredi and spend some time with your family. You're too young to be spending so much time at work."

Sara opened her mouth to protest, but Dr. Reilly interrupted her. "I mean it Tancredi. You've been working way too hard these past few days."

Sara looked down in defeat. "Fine," she conceded, "I will, but after I finish the paperwork." She gently took the paperwork back from her boss.

Dr. Reilly rolled her eyes. "All right, but if you're still here at midnight, I'm going to have to kick your butt out of this hospital, got it?"

Sara lightly smiled. "Got it."

"Good. You take care now," Reilly said walking out the door.

Sara nodded, "You too."

---

Michael glanced around at his co-workers drinking, singing, and just about acting crazy at the office Christmas Eve party. It was amazing how a little alcohol and eggnog changed even the most uptight person.

As entertaining as everything was, Michael wasn't having much fun. Without Andrew and Lily there with him, Michael just couldn't get into a partying mood, not that he was much of a party-person to begin with.

He decided, after the umpteenth time Kathy from HR tried to get him underneath the mistletoe, he would go home. Maybe even call Sara up and see how she was doing.

---

_Ring. Ring. _

Sara's cell phone rang. She scolded herself for not turning it off. The hospital had a strict rule regarding the use of cell phones. Sara reached over and was about to turn it off when she saw that it was Michael calling her. She glanced around and out the door to see if anyone was watching her before answering.

"Michael?"

"Hey Sara," Michael said on the other end, "I was, uh, wondering how you were."

Sara smiled. "I'm fine. What about you?"

"Good, I'm good. I was just at an office party. I'm heading home now. So what are you up to?"

"Uh, I'm at the hospital, working on some paperwork."

Sara could feel Michael frown on the other line. "You're working?" he said with disbelief, "on Christmas Eve?"

"Yeah," Sara said pathetically.

"That's sad."

"Maybe, but someone's got to do it." Sara paused. "Listen Michael, I really shouldn't be on the phone here. The hospital's got a strict rule for using cell phones."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I'll talk to you later," Sara told him, "Merry Christmas Michael."

"Merry Christmas Sara," Michael said into his phone.

He frowned as he flipped his cell phone shut. Sara didn't sound very 'merry' on the phone. He would have to do something about that.

---

Dr. Reilly walked into the office the second time that night. When she saw that Sara was still there, she clicked her tongue, shaking her head. She pulled the paperwork away from her again.

"Go home, Tancredi."

"But it's not midnight yet."

"Nine o' clock is close enough. Go home," Reilly sternly told the young doctor.

Sara sighed in defeat. She stood up from her desk and grabbed her purse.

"You'll thank me one day," Reilly said as she saw her to the door.

"Sure," Sara said lightly as she left.

"Have a merry Christmas Tancredi," Reilly called out to her in the hallway.

"You too," Sara called back.

"I better not see you here tomorrow!" Dr. Reilly called after her again.

Sara slightly chuckled. As she was leaving the hospital, she wondered what she was going to occupy her time with now. Too into her thoughts, she couldn't see the snowball coming. It hit her softly in her stomach. Sara blinked.

"What the…?"

She heard a soft chuckle and looked up to see Michael standing a few feet away. He began walking towards her.

"Michael? What are you doing here?" she asked him.

"Well, I came to break you out of the hospital, but then I saw you coming out…"

"And decided to pelt me with a snowball?" Sara said, finishing his sentence. A light smile began to form on her lips.

Michael smiled sheepishly at her. "Seemed like a fun idea at the time."

The light smile turned into a wicked grin. "I'll show you fun!" Sara said as she bent down and gathered snow in her palms.

Michael laughed and turned to run away, but Sara got him in the back of the head. Soon they were having a snowball fight that took them to the park. Laughing, Sara hid behind a tree as a snowball hit its trunk.

"You throw like a girl Michael!" Sara teased him.

"Why don't you come out and say that to my face like a man!" Michael called out.

Sara chuckled, a snowball in her palm. She then sprinted out from behind the tree only to be met with a snowball to the chest. Sara chucked her snowball at Michael but missed. He began running towards her and she tried to get away, but he caught her in his arms and the two of them tumbled down together into the soft white snow.

Michael lay on top while Sara was underneath him. Both of them were laughing their heads off.

"I may throw like a girl, but my tackle's pretty good, wouldn't you say so?" Michael said grinning down at Sara.

"Yeah," Sara replied, smiling up at him.

She then noticed the position they were in and immediately flushed crimson. Their faces were inches apart. Their breathing was heavy from all the running they did. The snow beneath them was practically melting from the heat their bodies were giving off.

Strands of hair had fallen out of Sara's ponytail during their snowball fight. Michael reached up with his hand and tucked them behind her ear. Sara sucked in a long breath.

"Michael…"

"Yes?"

"I'm wet."

That threw Michael off guard. "Wh-what?"

Sara then realized the sexual innuendo in her words and turned as red as a ripe tomato. "I meant from the snow. My coat is soaked." Apparently kissing while lying down in the snow wasn't as romantic as it sounded.

They both looked at each other and then laughed. Michael got off Sara and helped her up to her feet. "Sorry about that," Michael said.

Sara smiled at him. "It's okay." She began to brush the snow off her coat. Michael moved behind her and helped brush the snow off her. Her coat was soaked.

"You must be freezing," he said.

Sara shrugged. "That can be fixed with a cup of hot cocoa." She smiled a dazzling smile at him. "How about it?"

Michael couldn't resist. "Sure."

The two of them walked side by side to Sara's apartment building quietly, enjoying the other's presence. White snow flakes fell all around them, creating a peaceful atmosphere.

"I got you something for Christmas," Sara said.

Michael looked to her. "You did?"

Sara nodded and Michael immediately felt guilty. He still hadn't found a gift for her.

"I didn't get you anything, though," Michael said.

"It's okay Michael," Sara assured him, "my gift's kind of lame anyway. I didn't know what to get you."

Michael laughed a little. "I doubt that it's lame."

Sara laughed as she bounced up the steps to her apartment building and through the front door. "Come on."

Michael walked up the steps after her and then noticed a sprig of mistletoe hanging above the doorway. He looked to Sara who was already at the elevator.

"Come on Michael!" Sara called out to him. "Do you want that cocoa or not?"

Michael glanced at the mistletoe and then smiled. He would make use of that later.

---

"Here you go," Sara said, handing Michael a mug of hot chocolate.

"Thanks." He took a sip and let the sweet liquid warm his insides. "So," Michael began, "where's my 'lame' Christmas present?"

Sara laughed. She walked over to her desk and picked up a medium sized box wrapped in holiday wrapping with little reindeer on it. "Here," she said handing it to him before taking a seat in her arm chair.

Michael grinned at her. "Can I open it now?" Sara nodded. He set his cup of cocoa down on her coffee table and began to unwrap his present. He lifted the box lid and saw a long grey scarf and a pair of ear muffs.

"I, uh, figured with your shorn hair your ears get cold easily in this weather," Sara said with a shy smile. She took a sip of her hot cocoa.

Michael smiled. "They do," he said, referring to his ears, "thanks Sara." He put the ear muffs on his ears. "How do they look?"

Sara let out a small laugh. "You look silly!"

"You're the one that got them for me," Michael said with a chuckle.

"I know, I know," Sara said, holding back her laughter, but she was still grinning. "At least your ears will be warm now."

"Yeah," Michael said. He looked at Sara. "I promise I'll get you something by the end of the month."

"Michael, you don't have to, really," Sara said.

"I want to though."

Sara looked down and smiled. "Okay then."

"Anything in particular that you want?" Michael asked her.

Sara shook her head. "Surprise me."

"Okay then," Michael said with a grin.

The two of them sat together, drinking their hot cocoa for awhile before one of them spoke up.

"Tell me about your favorite Christmas memory, Michael," Sara said.

"You mean besides today?" Michael asked with a grin.

Sara blushed slightly at that. "Yeah."

"Okay," Michael thought for a few minutes, "I think it would have to be when I was about seven or eight years old, back when my mom was still alive." He smiled as the memory came back to him. "On Christmas morning, my mom woke me up by tickling my sides."

Sara smiled at that. Michael went on.

"She picked me up and carried me out to the kitchen where she and my brother had a big pile of blueberry pancakes ready for Christmas breakfast. After we ate, we headed outside where we played in the snow and made snowmen." Michael smiled. "It sounds really simple now that I think about it, but I guess it stuck out for me since it was the Christmas before my mom got sick. And those pancakes were really good."

"I see," Sara said with a small smile.

Michael looked up at Sara. "What about you? What's your favorite Christmas memory Sara?"

"Um, I think when I was about five. My mom dressed me in this fancy dress that was comfortable for once. For Christmas she gave me this white teddy bear." Sara smiled. "I don't know what it was about that bear, but every time I looked at it, it made me smile. I carried it everywhere with me. It was like my security blanket," she said with a laugh. She then began to sober up. "But then…"

"What?" Michael asked, noticing the solemn tone her voice was now taking on.

"A few years later, it got really dirty and my dad had the maid throw it out," Sara said looking down. "I'm sorry, that wasn't very happy was it?"

Michael shook his head. "You don't have to apologize." He looked at her carefully, seeing her somber mood. "You still haven't talked to your dad, have you?"

"No," Sara said shaking her head, "and I don't plan on doing so anytime soon." She took a quiet sip of her hot chocolate.

"So you're not heading up to Springfield tomorrow?" Michael asked her. Sara shook her head. "Then what are you going to do?"

"Nothing, I guess. Just gonna stay at home."

Michael frowned. "No one should be alone on Christmas," he told her. He tapped his fingers on his mug and a thought hit him. "Why don't you spend Christmas with me then?"

Sara looked up at him. "What?"

Michael smiled at her shyly. "I spend the day with my brother and LJ. You can hang out with us, that is if you want to."

Sara looked down at her mug and smiled. "Okay, it sounds like fun."

Michael grinned. "Great."

They finished off their hot chocolate. Michael looked out the window.

"The snow is really starting to come down out there," he remarked as a strong wind picked up outside.

Sara looked behind her and saw it too. "It is." She turned back to face Michael. "It doesn't look very safe to travel. You're welcome to spend the night if you want to."

Michael smiled at her. "Okay. Thanks Sara."

Sara nodded. She stood up from her chair. "I'll go grab some extra blankets from the closet."

Michael watched as she disappeared down the hallway. He picked up their empty mugs from the coffee table and carried them over to the kitchen. He quickly washed them and placed them on the dish rack.

"Michael?" he heard Sara call out.

"I'm in the kitchen," he said before stepping out. "I was just putting away the cups."

"Thanks Michael," Sara said holding out a couple of blankets and a large pillow.

"No, thank you," he said, taking the items from her hands. His fingers slightly brushed against hers and she blushed a little at that.

"Sweet dreams, Michael," Sara said with a smile, "I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight Sara," Michael said, wishing her sweet dreams as well.

---

It stopped snowing the next morning. A fresh layer of white snow powered the streets. But Michael didn't know that yet. He was still sleeping on the couch, lightly snoring. Sara smiled at that. She knelt down in front of her couch. Then with a grin she began tickling Michael's sides.

"Wake up Sleepyhead, it's Christmas!"

Michael woke up abruptly and then began laughing as Sara kept tickling him. "H-hey!"

Sara grinned at him and stopped tickling his rib cage. "Good morning and Merry Christmas, Michael."

Michael let out some final chuckles. "Morning and Merry Christmas to you too."

Sara stood up and held out her hand to him. "Come on, I have a surprise for you."

"A surprise?" Michael asked as she helped him to his feet.

Sara nodded and began to lead him to her kitchen. Michael was met with the sight of a big stack of blueberry pancakes on the table. He turned to Sara.

"You didn't have to do this," he told her with a smile on his face.

"I wanted to," Sara said, returning his smile, "as a way of thanks for making sure that I won't be alone on Christmas."

Sara moved to sit down at the table, but Michael caught her hand.

"Thank you," he said.

Sara looked down at their joined hands and smiled. "You're welcome. Now dig in."

Michael chuckled and sat down, putting pancakes on his plate.

---

The elevator 'dinged' and the doors opened allowing Michael and Sara to step off onto the ground floor of Sara's apartment building.

"Are you sure it will be okay with your brother and LJ that I tag along with you guys today?" Sara asked.

"Yeah," Michael reassured her. "Come on."

The two began walking towards the main door, but then Michael remembered his plan.

"Hold on, wait," he said, stopping Sara right underneath the doorway.

"What is it Michael?" Sara asked.

He gave her a light smile. "Look up."

She did as she was told and saw the sprig of mistletoe. A rosy hue appeared on her cheeks and she let out a small laugh. "You know, Old Man Jenkins on the third floor tried getting me under this just last week."

"Really? What did you do?" Michael asked.

"I told him that I don't normally follow silly Christmas traditions like this."

"I see," Michael said. "Well, have you ever thought about breaking your tradition of not following traditions?" he asked her with a hopeful smile.

"No," Sara said at first, "at least, not until now."

She smiled up at him and Michael took that as a sign. He gently cupped the side of her face with his hand and brought his lips down onto hers. Michael kissed her softly at first, and then deepened it when she didn't draw away from him. In fact, Sara drew up her arms and wrapped them around his neck, her fingers tickling the light stubble of hairs along the nape of his neck, deepening their kiss even more.

Her lips were softer, warmer, and tasted much sweeter than Michael had ever imagined. Annoyingly, the need for air became evident, and Michael gently pulled away. Sara let out a breathless sigh and looked up at him, her hazel eyes sparkling. Her lips were still parted and swollen from their kiss. Michael waited for her to say something. But she didn't say anything.

Instead, she stepped closer to him, pressing her body against his, and brought her lips up to his in another searing kiss. This one burned him all over, igniting the fire deep within him. Michael wrapped his long arms around Sara, pulling her even closer, as their tongues massaged each other heatedly and tenderly in a seemingly endless dance. Sara softly moaned in pleasure against his lips. At this rate, the two of them were going to be heading back up to Sara's apartment and probably wouldn't come out until hours later.

"Ahem," a voice nearby coughed.

Both Michael and Sara pulled their faces away from each other and turned to see Eileen Tancredi grinning at them from ear to ear.

"I'm sorry for interrupting you two," she said with a smirk, "but it looked like you guys weren't going to stop any time soon."

Sara immediately turned red at the sight of her stepmother and Michael chuckled in embarrassment. She unwrapped her arms from Michael's neck and he let go of her waist.

"M-mom! What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you," Eileen said, "I tried calling you, but I kept getting your voicemail." She again grinned and looked at Michael. "Now I see why. How are you Michael?"

Michael smiled, embarrassed. "I'm fine."

The older woman smiled at him. "That's good." She turned to her stepdaughter. "Everyone back home is wondering where you are, including your father."

"Dad was asking about me?" Sara asked.

Eileen nodded. "I came to get you, but it appears you have other plans…"

"I uh," Sara said, turning to Michael.

"Go," he told her.

"But—" Sara began, but Michael interrupted her.

"Go Sara," Michael said, "You should make amends with your dad. Christmas is the perfect time for that sort of thing."

Sara smiled up at him. "Thank you." Michael smiled back at her.

"Shall we go now?" Eileen asked.

Sara nodded. "Bye Michael."

"Bye," he said, "and Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas to you too!" Eileen called out as she and Sara began walking to her car. She looked to her stepdaughter and saw her grinning like an idiot, but an idiot in love. Eileen smiled. "You looked quite cozy there with Michael, Sara," she teased once they were out of earshot.

"I, uh, we were under the mistletoe," Sara sputtered out.

Eileen chuckled. "I see." Then a thought hit her. It was rather early in the morning for Michael to be visiting Sara. "Oh my! Did he spend the night over at your apartment?"

Sara became red again. "Yes, but it wasn't anything like that! We just had hot cocoa."

Eileen's lips curled into a small grin. "So that's what you kids are calling it these days."

Sara turned even redder. "Mom!"

Eileen let out a hearty laugh. "I'm teasing you sweetheart! It's nice to see you happy for once, you know."

Sara looked down, smiling. She agreed.

---

_Knock. Knock._

Lincoln got up from his couch to answer the door. Michael stood on the other side with a couple of large boxes in his arms. Lincoln grinned at him.

"Hey Mike, about time you got here," he said as he let him in. "Nice ear muffs," Lincoln teased.

Michael chuckled. "Thanks."

LJ appeared in front of his uncle. "Hey Uncle Mike, now where is it?" he demanded.

Michael let out a laugh. "Geez, someone sounds spoiled. Maybe I shouldn't give him his present."

"We had a deal Uncle Mike!"

Michael laughed again. "I know, I know. Here," he said handing one of the boxes to his nephew who began to tear it open. "Your Dad helped me buy it so it's from the both of us."

"I know! Thanks!" the twelve year old said as he took his brand new Xbox out of its box. "Sweet!"

Michael shook his head and turned to his older brother. "Merry Christmas Linc," he said, holding out a thin wide box.

Lincoln grinned and held out a small box. "Merry Christmas Mike," he said.

The two brothers exchanged gifts. Lincoln opened his present and pulled out a black leather jacket from the box. Michael opened his to find a brand new gold watch.

"Whoa," they both said at the same time. They looked at each other and grinned.

Lincoln slipped the jacket on. "Damn, this is cool, Michael."

Michael held up his new watch. "And this looks like it was expensive."

"Don't worry," Lincoln said, "I bought that with honest money. I even saved the receipt thing to prove it to ya."

Michael smiled. "I believe you." He slipped the watch on his wrist. "Thanks Lincoln."

---

"Auntie Sara!"

Right when she and Eileen walked through the front door, Sara was met with the happy face of her niece. "Hi Angie," Sara said, bending down to hug her.

Connor came bounding after her, with a chocolate Labrador puppy in his arms. "Auntie Sara! Look what Mommy and Daddy got us!"

Sara took a good look at the puppy and smiled. "Oh! It's so cute! Is it a boy or a girl?"

"A boy!" Angie replied happily, "but we don't know what to call him yet."

"They can't agree on a name," Rose said with a laugh.

The puppy barked happily and jumped out of Connor's arms. It ran in a circle around Sara and then stopped right in front of her, its tail wagging rapidly. Its tongue hanging out of his mouth in a grin and he barked again. Sara picked it up and the puppy licked her face.

"He likes you Auntie Sara!" Connor said.

"Apparently he does," Sara said between chuckles as the puppy licked her face again and again.

"Oh!"

Everyone turned to look at Angie who had exclaimed aloud. She was grinning.

"I know! We should name him Mikey!"

Sara faltered at that, almost dropping the puppy. "What?"

"Why Mikey, Sweetie?" Rose asked her six year old.

"Because he's just like Auntie Sara's friend Michael! He's nice and fun, and he also likes Auntie Sara a whole lot!" Angie said holding her arms out above her sides to emphasize her point.

Connor nodded, finally agreeing with his twin. Eileen chuckled while Sara turned red for what seemed like the thousandth time that day.

"Come on you two," Bill said, "let's go take 'Mikey' out for a walk now."

"Okay Dad!" the twins cheered as they followed their father out the door.

Rose shook her head. "I better keep an eye on them." She turned to her younger sister and gave her a hug. "I'm glad you came, Sara."

Sara nodded and smiled. "I am too."

"Come on now," Eileen said, leading Sara to the dinning room where Vincent and Cameron were eating.

"Hey Sara!" Vincent exclaimed his mouth half full.

"About time you came!" Cameron said.

Sara smiled at them. She looked around. "Where's Dad?" she asked.

"He's out back on the porch swing," Cameron told her.

"Thanks Cam," Sara said before heading towards the back of the house.

She slowly opened the screen door and stepped out. Her father looked up at the sound.

"Sara…"

"Hi Dad."

A silence passed between them before another word was spoken.

"I didn't think you would come today," Frank told his daughter.

"I wasn't planning to," Sara said as she leaned against one of the posts of the porch.

Another moment of silence.

"Listen, Sara—" Frank began.

"Dad, before you say anything, I just want to say I'm sorry," Sara said. "I'm sorry for what I said on Thanksgiving."

Frank's eyes began to mist up. "I'm sorry too, for hitting you."

"I deserved it."

Frank shook his head. "No, I shouldn't have done what I did. And you were right though, about the part where you said I drove your mother to her death," he said, his voice breaking a bit with the final part.

"Dad…" Sara stood up from her spot against the post and walked over to her father. She sat in the swing beside him and he wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm so sorry Sara," Frank said. "There's not a day that goes by where I don't blame myself for your mother's death, because I know it was my fault. But you were wrong about me not loving her though, because I did. I still do and I always will love her like how I will always love you."

Sara buried her face into her father's shoulder, tears forming in her eyes. "I know, I know that now, Dad." She lifted her head to look at him and gave him a smile.

He smiled back at her, pulling her back into a hug, finally making amends. This was how it should be.

---

"So," Lincoln began, "LJ tells me you got a 'hot' lady friend." The two of them sat at his table, sipping beers while watching LJ play his new Xbox.

Michael lightly smiled. "LJ has a big mouth."

Lincoln laughed. "So tell me about her Mike, what's she like?"

Michael just smiled before taking another sip of his beer. "She's the one that got me these ear muffs," he said as he fingered the muffs with affection.

Lincoln laughed again. "What did you get her?"

Michael looked down. "I didn't get her anything; I didn't know what to get her…" Michael was suddenly struck with an idea.

---

Sara watched as her father and stepmother drove away in their car after dropping her back home at her apartment building. It was late at night now and she just spent a very merry Christmas with her family. She smiled. This Christmas was easily the best Christmas in all her life. She turned and walked up the steps to her building, seeing the mistletoe still pinned up on the doorway. Sara blushed and smiled, remembering the kisses she shared with Michael before.

Still smiling, she pushed the button to the elevator. Sara thought of how wonderful the day had begun and how wonderful it had ended. Nothing could make it any better.

The elevator doors opened. Sara stepped out and began walking to her door. She then noticed a box tied with a red bow in front of her door. Sara picked it up and brought it inside.

She set it down on her coffee table, untied the bow and lifted the lid. Inside the box was a white teddy bear. Sara's mouth parted with amazement and then smiled. She lifted the teddy bear out of the box and saw that there was a card at the bottom. She picked it up, reading the neat handwriting inside:

_-I know it's not the same as the one _

_-your mom got you, but I'm hoping _

_-it will still make you smile. _

_-Merry Christmas Sara!_

_-Michael_

Sara smiled as she stared down at the teddy bear in her hands. She was wrong. This just made the day even better.

"Merry Christmas," Sara said to the bear, still smiling.


	14. New Year, New Beginning

A/N: Happy New Year to all my readers! I bring you a brand new chapter to bring in the New Year. And I hope you like it! 

I plan to squeeze out the next installment of the Art Project series in the next couple of months, so if you're a fan, keep an eye out for it. This installment will feature Lincoln and a very curious Evie who asks him about the 'Birds and the Bees.' Hee! 

And special thanks goes to my beta-reader Jen! You seriously rock! 

Enjoy!

* * *

"Do you like it?"

Andrew murmured into Lily's blonde hair. It was the morning after Christmas and the two of them were lying in bed together with a thin white sheet as their only modesty. Lily, curled up to his side, fingered the diamond pendant around her neck, marveling at how it sparkled in the light glow of the morning sun that seeped into the bedroom.

"I love it," she said smiling. Lily turned her head upwards. "I love you."

Andrew smiled down at her. Then he lowered his lips and kissed her forehead. "I love you more."

Lily gave Andrew a sweet lazy smile and then craned her neck upwards to kiss Andrew on the lips. "What should we do for New Years?" she asked him.

"You mean besides each other?" Andrew said grinning with a wiggle of his eyebrows. Lily lightly smacked his left shoulder and he let out a chuckle. He wrapped his arm more tightly around her naked body and pulled her even closer. "I'm thinking big ass party here at home," he told her, "and we can invite a certain engineer and a certain doctor and get them to finally hookup with each other once and for all."

Andrew felt the vibration of Lily's giggle on his chest. "You make it sound so easy," she said.

"You don't think it will be?"

"Well, considering the bad luck Michael and Sara have when they try to get together…"

Andrew shook his head. "Nah, I have a good feeling that they'll hook up by the end of the year," he said with a grin.

Lily smiled at her boyfriend's infallible optimism. It was one of the things she loved about him the most. Lily reached up and cupped the side of his face, giving him a searing kiss that burned the both of them all over.

"Well," she began seductively, "I'm more interested in 'us' hooking up at this very moment."

"Really?" Andrew said, his mouth curving into a wide grin.

Lily nodded. She gently pushed herself up into a straddling position over Andrew's hips. The sheet fluttered down her porcelain back, exposing her upper body, giving Andrew a full view of her round breasts. He reached with his hand to caress her as she lowered herself onto him, moving up and down, riding him.

They both began to moan in immense fiery pleasure.

---

Sara blinked her eyes open from her peaceful slumber and the first thing she saw was the white teddy bear Michael had given her for Christmas. She smiled and reached with her hand to feel the soft white fur with her fingertips. A surge of warmth washed over Sara as she remembered the kisses she shared with Michael underneath the mistletoe. She grabbed the teddy bear and hugged it to her chest, lightly laughing at the way she was acting like a school girl with a crush.

She smiled down at the teddy bear's face. But it was more than a 'crush.'

_Ring. Ring. _

Sara looked up and then lazily reached for her cell phone on her nightstand. She pulled the charger cord out of its socket and flipped the phone open.

"Hello?"

"Hi."

Sara smiled. "Hi Michael." She sat up, leaning her back against the headboard of her bed with the teddy bear in her lap.

"Did I wake you?" Michael asked, noting the sleepy tone her voice had.

"Yeah, but I don't mind," she said.

Sara could feel Michael smiling on the other end. "Are you still in Springfield or are you back in Chicago?" he asked her.

"I'm back home in Chicago."

"Ah," he began, "so did you find my present for you?"

Sara couldn't help but smile as she looked down at the teddy bear. "Yes," she told him, "and I love it. Thank you."

"I was hoping you would," Michael said. "So how was your Christmas?"

"Wonderful, from beginning to end," she told him. "What about you?" she asked.

"The same, wonderful from the beginning to end, especially the beginning," he said. Sara blushed at that. "Listen," Michael began, "seeing as how you've just woken up, how about I take you out for breakfast? You know, for cooking those wonderful pancakes for me yesterday."

Sara smiled. A swell of happiness formed in her chest. "Okay."

"Great. So, meet me in about an hour at Sally's Diner?" he said in a form of a question.

"All right."

"Okay, I'll see you in about an hour. Bye Sara," Michael said.

"Bye."

Sara flipped her phone shut and she looked down at the teddy bear in her lap. She began to grin like an idiot.

---

Andrew and Lily walked hand in hand down the sidewalk together. After their 'morning workout,' as Andrew put it, they decided to grab a big breakfast in town. Every now and then Andrew would steal a kiss from Lily as they walked down the street.

"Andrew!" Lily said with a giggle.

"What?" Andrew said innocently. He moved behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder. "I can't help it."

Lily smiled and leaned back into his embrace. She then spotted Michael standing out in front of a diner. "Michael!" she called out to him.

He turned and spotted the two of them, giving his two friends a light smile. "Hey you guys."

"Hey Mike," Andrew said. "What are you doing here?"

"I uh…" Michael began but was interrupted.

"Michael!"

The three of them turned and saw Sara walk up to them. She saw Lily and Andrew.

"Oh," Sara began, "Lily, Andrew, I didn't know that you guys would be joining us." She gave them a light smile meant to hide her disappointment. While she loved the couple, she was hoping for some alone time with Michael.

Both Andrew and Lily looked from Michael and Sara. Were the two of them _together_? Their body language told them no, but it also said that they were well on their way to hooking up. Lily smiled.

"No, we actually weren't," she said. "We'll le—"

Andrew interrupted her. "We weren't, but since we're all together, why not?"

Lily felt like smacking her boyfriend in the back of his head. Only hours ago he was saying how Michael and Sara were going to hookup, yet here he was intruding on their moment, ruining it for them.

But Sara, being the polite person she was, said, "Okay," much to Michael's disappointment.

The four of them walked into the diner and slid into a booth. A waitress came up, taking down their orders before walking away.

"So," Sara began, "how was your Christmas?" she asked Lily and Andrew.

Andrew grinned and then looked at Lily. "It was…"

"You don't need to go into graphic detail, Andrew," Michael said with a chuckle, knowing what the two of them did.

Everyone couldn't help but laugh and a light crimson hue appeared on Lily's cheeks. "What about you two?" she asked Michael and Sara.

Both Michael and Sara glanced at each other. They then turned to face the couple sitting across from them. "It was wonderful," they said at the same time. They looked at each other again and smiled.

"Hey, Lily and I were talking about New Year's this morning and we decided to hold a big party at my place," Andrew said. "And the two of you are invited."

"Thanks Andrew," Michael said.

Sara shook her head though. "I can't go. My father's having this big thing with a bunch of his associates, workers, and such."

"My party will be more fun though," Andrew pointed out.

"It probably will be, but I should go to my father's," Sara said. She just patched things up with her father. She didn't want to ruin it. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

Lily glanced over at Michael. She saw the disappointment on his face. She remembered what she said in the morning, how Michael and Sara had bad luck when they tried to get together. She wished she hadn't jinxed them.

---

Michael quickly slipped into an empty room, closing the door behind him. It was New Year's Eve and he was at Andrew's party. He had just snuck away upstairs to one of the guest rooms of Andrew's house, away from the loud music and all the people drinking and enjoying themselves. He was enjoying himself too, but he knew he would be enjoying it a whole lot more if Sara had came.

He took his cell phone out of his pocket. He wanted to hear her voice and wish her a happy new year at least since he couldn't see her. As he heard his phone ring, the closed door suddenly opened, revealing Andrew who was pointing a finger at him.

"Aha! I knew it!" he exclaimed with a knowing grin.

Lily came up behind him and smacked him in the head. "Idiot! Stop bothering him!"

Michael couldn't help but laugh at his two friends. Then he heard his phone call go through.

"Hello?"

"Hey Sara," Michael said smiling. "Happy New Year!"

He could feel her warm smile over the phone. "Thank you Michael. Happy New Year to you too!"

"Tell her I said, 'Happy New Year!' Michael!" Lily said.

"Ask her if she's having fun at her father's boring party!" Andrew said.

Michael chuckled again. "Sara, Lily and Andrew want to talk to you. I'm going to put you on speaker." Michael pressed a couple of buttons.

"Can you hear me now, Sara?" Andrew asked, mimicking the Verizon guy in the commercials.

Sara laughed over the phone. "Yes. Happy New Year you guys!"

"It's too bad we don't have three-way calling. We could have called Lindsey over in New York," Lily said. Lily and Andrew had invited her too but she was spending the holiday in the big apple.

"So Sara," Andrew began, "is your father's party fun?"

"Not really." The party was just a bunch of older men with their wives drinking and talking about politics.

"Ha! I told you!"

Lily smacked him again. Sara heard it over the phone. "Stop being annoying!"

Michael heard the gentle laugh of Sara's voice on the other end. "Do you need us to rescue you?" Michael asked.

"I think I'll live, but thanks," Sara said. On the other end, she had just walked out onto the balcony area of the building where her father's party was being held. She then felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around. She gasped at who she saw.

"Robert?"

Back at Andrew's house, the trio heard her gasp.

"Sara—" Michael began…

"I'm sorry, I have to call you back," Sara said quickly before hanging up.

Michael slowly reached for his cell phone and stuck it back into his pocket. Lily could already see his mood turning into one of melancholy.

"We should probably head back downstairs to the party," Michael said stone-faced as he left the room.

Andrew and Lily glanced at each other with worried looks and then followed after him.

---

"What are you doing here?" Sara asked the man standing in front of her.

"Your father invited me," Robert told her.

"Oh," Sara said. A silence passed between them. It was a little awkward, seeing as how the last time she saw him, she nearly broke his nose.

"Uh, how's your nose?" she asked.

"It's healed."

Sara nodded. She looked down at the ground before meeting his gaze once again. "Is there something you want?"

"There were a few things I wanted to say to you but I can't seem to remember them," he said taking a good look at her with longing in his eyes. "You look very lovely tonight, Sara."

"Robert…" Sara said, shifting uncomfortably under his gaze, "I meant it when I said we were over."

"Sara…"

"Robert, please!" Sara said interrupting him. She gave him a stern look. "Stop trying to win me back."

Robert took in her look and then he shook his head. "I don't understand you."

"And that's why it didn't work," she told him. He looked down at that. "I'm sorry," Sara said. She gently sidestepped around him and took a couple of steps, but then stopped. "Happy New Year though," she said over her shoulder before walking away.

Frank Tancredi watched as his daughter walked away from his protégé. His shoulders slumped at the sight. He then felt someone slip her arm into his. It was his wife, Eileen.

She smiled at him. "Hi," she said before following his gaze to where Sara was walking away from Robert. Her smile faded. "Oh, you didn't!" Eileen said in disbelief. She turned to look at her husband.

"What?"

"You invited Robert knowing that Sara would be here."

"I don't see the big deal in that."

"Honey, I adore Robert as much as you do, but," Eileen began, "I honestly believe that he isn't right for Sara."

Frank lowered his head at that. Eileen gently pulled away from her husband and forced him to look her in the eye.

"You just patched things up with Sara. Don't ruin it by forcing Robert down her throat," she told him. Eileen looked across the room and saw Sara enter the stairwell. "I'm going to go talk to her." She kissed Frank on the cheek. "Don't do anything stupid like this again," she said before going after her stepdaughter.

---

"You're leaving?" Andrew asked Michael as he followed him to the front door.

"Yeah," Michael replied without looking at his friend, trying to act nonchalant.

It was only a couple more hours till midnight.

"Michael…" Andrew began, knowing fully well why Michael was leaving, "it probably isn't anything," he said referring to the phone call from earlier.

Michael still averted his gaze. "Happy New Year Andrew," he said as he walked down the front steps.

Andrew softly groaned as his friend drove away.

---

Eileen found her stepdaughter sitting on the steps of the stairwell. She came up and sat next to her on the stairs.

"Hi."

Sara gave her a small smile. "Hi Mom."

"You have to forgive your father for what he did," Eileen said.

Sara nodded slowly. "I think he wants to see me with Robert because we're so much like him and my mom and he wants things to work out this time." She looked at her stepmother. "I'm sorry; this must be weird for you, me talking about my mom and dad."

Eileen shook her head. She knew that Frank still had some love for his first wife. She had some for her first husband as well, God rest his soul. "No, I understand and see what you mean. I just wish that your father could see that you don't want to be with Robert."

Sara lightly smiled and then looked down at her feet. Eileen tucked a bit of Sara's auburn hair behind her ear and then took a hold of her hand.

"You don't want to be here right now, do you?" she asked her stepdaughter.

Sara sighed in response. Eileen knew exactly where she wanted to be. With Michael.

"Sara, I know you feel obligated to stay here at your father's party because you just recently made amends," Eileen started, "but I think you should go."

Sara looked up at her. "You think so?"

Eileen nodded. "You should follow your heart once in awhile. You'll be happier that way," she said with a warm smile.

"But what about Dad?"

"I'll make an excuse up for you," Eileen said. She stood up and pulled Sara onto her feet. "Go."

Sara smiled at her stepmother and then pulled her into a hug.

"Thank you."

---

_Ring. Ring._

Lily was surprised she heard her phone ring with all the loud music that was playing in the background. She went somewhere a bit quieter and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Lily! Hey!" Sara's voice said on the other end.

"Hey Sara," Lily said.

"Listen, is Michael there? I've been trying to call him but I keep getting his voicemail."

"He left."

"He did? Where did he go?" Sara asked.

"Probably home at his apartment," Lily replied, "Sara—"

"Okay! Thanks Lily!" Sara said quickly before hanging up.

Lily's mouth was left open as she stood there. She was just about to ask Sara about what happened between her and Robert, but it seemed like Sara was in a hurry to get to Michael. Lily looked at the time displayed on the screen of her phone. It was only a few minutes until midnight. She needed to find Andrew for her 'Midnight Kiss.'

---

Michael sat on his couch in front of his TV, pouring himself a drink. He was watching the New Year's celebration on the news. The final countdown was about to begin.

_Knock. Knock._

Michael looked up. He set his glass on his coffee table and pushed himself off his couch, heading towards the door. The countdown began.

_10…_

_9…_

Michael reached his door and turned the knob opening it.

_8… _

_7…_

The door opened, revealing Sara.

_6…_

_5…_

Michael blinked in surprise. "Sara?"

_4…_

_3…_

Sara stared at him at first. Then she took the two steps that separated them.

_2…_

_1. _

_It was midnight._

Her lips were on his, her right hand was grasping the back of his head, pulling him closer to her. Michael was startled at first, but then easily fell into it. His arm slipped around Sara's waist, crushing her body to his, sending jolts throughout. He slightly bent her over, giving him better access to ravish her mouth.

Sara clung to him as if her life depended on it when she felt her knees give in. She tightly gripped his shoulder and neck as her mouth assaulted his in her quest to taste every bit of the sweet salty spice inside.

There were fireworks, both literally and figuratively. The bright colorful lights lit up the Chicago sky and bits spilled in through the windows of Michael's loft, dancing along the faces and bodies of the kissing couple.

Michael didn't want to let her go, but he had to, to give her and himself some oxygen. He reluctantly removed his mouth from hers, but he still held Sara close. She slowly opened her eyes and they sparkled up at him. Sara sucked in a couple of breaths, as the kiss had left her breathless.

Michael smiled and ran his hand through her auburn curls a few times before letting it rest on the side of her face. "Sara?"

She smiled at him and took a hold of his hand and kissed his knuckles. "Happy New Year Michael," Sara said softly.

"What are you doing here, Sara?" Michael asked, being overwhelmed by the surge of emotions running through him and also by the urge to kiss her crazy like before.

Sara's arms still rested around his shoulders and neck. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. "I'm here because I wanted to tell you that I don't want us to be 'just friends' anymore." Her hazel eyes opened and she looked into his blue-green ones. "Do you understand what that means?"

Michael stared down at her. "Does it mean I can kiss you again?" he asked with a smile.

Sara grinned and let out a little laugh. She nodded, tears forming in her eyes. She wanted badly for him to kiss her again.

Michael grinned, cupping her face. "Good." And his mouth was on hers once again.

---

"Sara?"

"Hm?"

"Are you falling asleep?" Michael softly asked.

"No," Sara said sleepily.

The two of them were lying together outside on Michael's balcony in one of his reclining patio chairs. They were watching the fireworks show in the sky together, but now that was over and only an occasional firework lit up the sky now and then.

Sara was resting her head on Michael's chest with her eyes closed. Michael had his arms wrapped around her. He loved how peaceful she looked.

"Maybe we should go inside," he suggested to her.

"Hm," Sara replied, nodding her head against his chest.

Michael gently sat the two of them up. Sara climbed off his lap and stood as he pushed himself off the chair. He wrapped the blanket that had been covering them around his shoulders and then wrapped his arms around Sara, leading her back inside his apartment.

They came into his bedroom, up to his bed. Sara turned her head to look at him, a thought going across her features. Michael gently kissed her lips.

"We don't have to rush," he told her smiling, "I mean we haven't even been on an official first date yet."

Sara lightly laughed at that. She turned around in his arms and lightly kissed him on the lips again. She then took a hold of his hand and tugged him towards the bed. There was no doubt that she wanted to _sleep_ with Michael, but right now she was feeling really lethargic and sleepy.

They climbed into bed together. Sara laid on her side and cuddled up to Michael. He wrapped an arm around her, keeping her warm as he pulled the blanket over them.

"Goodnight Michael," Sara said sleepily.

"Goodnight Sara."

---

Michael woke up to find himself alone in his bed. He sat up looking for Sara or any sign of her, but the room was empty.

Did he dream last night?

Michael then heard the toilet flush. He looked to his bathroom door and saw Sara step out. Her hair was a little disheveled and the dress she was wearing was a little wrinkled, but she was there. She smiled at him.

"You're awake," she said as she walked back to him.

"You're here," he said with a smile. Sara climbed back onto the bed and wrapped her arms around his neck. "For a minute there I thought I had dreamt last night."

Sara shook her head. "Nope, last night was not a dream."

"How do I know that I'm not dreaming now?" Michael asked her with a lazy smile.

Sara then pinched his shoulder. He reacted with an "Ow!" Sara laughed. "See, you're not dreaming."

Michael grinned at her and pulled her closer. His mouth found hers in a sensuous kiss and he pulled her down onto the bed, on top of him.

They stayed like that for a few moments, kissing, but then Michael's phone began to ring.

Michael groaned. He tried to ignore it and kept on kissing Sara. The phone stopped ringing for a minute, but then it started up again.

Sara released Michael's lips and looked at the phone. "Looks like they're persistent," she said.

Michael sighed and reached for the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey Mike, just checking up on you," Andrew said into the phone. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine," Michael said truthfully as he watched and felt Sara caress the side of his face with her warm palm.

Andrew picked up on his good mood. "Good," he said, happy to hear it even though he didn't know why he was in a good mood. Andrew brushed that aside and began to ramble. "Dude, you should have stayed because Bob freaking—"

"Andrew," Michael interrupted, "can you call me back later? I'm a little busy right now."

"Busy? With what?"

At that moment Sara took the phone from Michael. "He's busy with me," she said.

"SARA?!"

"Happy New Year Andrew!" Sara said in a sing-song voice before she placed the phone back on the receiver, hanging up on their friend. She turned to Michael and grinned.

"Now where were we?"


	15. 3rd, 4th, and 5th Extra Wheel

A/N: Here's the new chapter! Sorry it took so long! 

---

Andrew sat on the edge of Lily's office desk, a goofy looking playful smile on his desk. "I'm telling you," he said, "they had sex."

Lily gave her boyfriend an incredulous smile as she organized paperwork into a neat pile. The topic of their discussion was the coupling of Michael and Sara. Lily was with Andrew when he had called Michael up on New Year's Day and found out that Sara was "with" him and apparently "busy." Everything pointed to them having sex, but for some reason, Lily didn't think so.

Andrew saw that she was unconvinced. "They did. I'm sure of it."

"Andrew," Lily began, "it really isn't our business whether they slept together or not." She slipped a paper clip onto the pack of papers she was organizing. "We should just be happy for them that they're finally together."

"I am happy for them," Andrew said. "I'm just saying that they had sex."

Lily rolled her eyes at him with a look of amusement on her face. At that moment, Michael strode into Lily's office for the day's paperwork and prints. Andrew's smile turned into a mischievous grin.

"Hey Michael!" he said cheerfully, pushing himself from his leaning position on the desk. "So how was your New Year's Day?"

Michael let out a sound of amusement and shyly looked away, knowing that they already knew about him and Sara. A smile was on his face. "It was nice," was all he said.

Andrew opened his mouth to say something more, but Lily promptly clamped her hand over it, knowing that the next thing to come out would be inappropriate. With her other hand she gave Michael the pile of paperwork he needed.

"Here you go Michael," the blonde said. She kept her hand over her boyfriend's mouth, ignoring his muffled protests to remove it. "Those need to be completed before lunch."

Michael nodded. "Okay." He stifled a chuckle as he watched Andrew try to pry Lily's hand away from his mouth. "About lunch," he began as he turned to face Lily, "you guys won't mind if I go eat out with Sara, will you?"

Lily gave him a humor-filled smile. "Michael, I'm not your mother. You don't need to ask my permission to do anything."

Michael smiled inwardly. "Okay. Thanks." And with that, he left the room.

Andrew finally wrestled his mouth away from Lily's palm. "Hey--!"

Lily shut him up again, this time with her mouth.

---

Lindsey flipped a page of the manuscript she was reading in the few minutes she had before she had to start her hospital rounds. It was rather exciting. The impending novel was a perfect blend of action, drama, and humor, with a touch of romance now and then. Lindsey couldn't put it down.

"Good morning."

Lindsey looked up to see Sara walk into the room. She gave her friend a light smile and said, "Hey," before looking back down at the manuscript in her hands.

"What's that you're reading?" Sara asked, motioning to Lindsey's current reading material.

"It's a novel manuscript. My mom's going to be editing it."

Sara remembered that her mother was an editor for a publishing company in New York. "I didn't think editors were allowed to give those out."

"They're not," Lindsey said. "The author himself sent it to me."

"Why would he do that?"

"Well…" Lindsey began, unsure of how to explain it. She pursed her lips together before opening her mouth. "Do you remember that guy my parents introduced me to a few months ago?"

Sara nodded. "I remember you telling me about him."

Lindsey smiled. "Well, on New Year's he kissed me, and I um," she said becoming flustered, which Sara found odd because Lindsey never became flustered. "I'm kind of dating him now." A smile appeared on her face as she stared down at the manuscript with affection. "I know he lives in New York and all, and people say that long distance relationships don't work, but I have a good feeling that this will."

Sara grinned at her friend. "It seems like New Year's was a good day for all of us."

Lindsey looked up at her friend and actually saw her for the first time. Sara was positively glowing. A bright aura was radiating around her. And she looked happy. Real, genuine happiness, something that Lindsey only saw when Sara was with…

Then it hit her.

"You hooked up with Michael?!" Lindsey exclaimed.

Sara only smiled in response, confirming Lindsey's assumption.

"Oh my god!" She jumped out of her seat, barely able to contain her excitement and happiness for her friend. "Finally!" Lindsey grinned. "I swear, if you and Michael hadn't of hooked up by the end of the month, I was going to lock the two of you in a room somewhere and wouldn't let you out until you guys started making out and ripping off each other's clothes. And by then, you guys wouldn't want me to let you out," she said with a wink.

Sara chuckled and she opened her mouth to respond, but in came their boss, Dr. Reilly with her hands on her hips and a stern professional look on her face.

"As happy as I am to see the two of my best doctors happy, I would be even happier to see them get to work," and with that she handed Sara and Lindsey a file each. She then proceeded to point towards the doorway out to the hall to get them moving.

As the doctors left the room and walked down the bright sterile hospital hallway, Lindsey leaned over and whispered into Sara's ear, "You are going to tell me all about your little 'hookup' at lunch."

Sara gave her friend a slight smile and shook her head. "Can't, I'm having lunch with Michael," she whispered back.

Lindsey gave a slight frown. "Then who am I going to eat lunch with?"

"Lily and Andrew?" Sara suggested. She then stopped in front of the door of her first patient's room. "I'll talk to you later, Lindsey." With a wave and a smile on her face, Sara bid her friend goodbye.

Lindsey stopped in the hallway as Sara disappeared into the hospital room. Her brows furrowed at first but then her face turned into a smirk. She wasn't going to let Sara off without knowing the details so easily.

---

_Knock. Knock. _

"Come in," Michael said as he drew a line across the blueprint he was working on.

Andrew stepped into his office with a big smirk-like grin on his face. He casually made his way over to Michael's desk with his hands in his pockets. Michael finally looked up from his work.

"Can I help you, Andrew?" Michael asked, even though he already knew what Andrew would ask about.

Andrew swung his weight back and forth from his heels to his toes. "No, no, not really," he said trying to suppress his sly grin. "I just wanted to know if you and S—"

"No, we didn't," Michael said, turning back down to his work, a hint of a smile and a chuckle on his face.

Andrew frowned. "Seriously?"

Michael let out a small chuckle. He looked back up at his friend. "I know what you heard on the phone might say otherwise, but we didn't."

"Seriously?"

Michael rolled his eyes with amusement. "Do I have to go get Lily?"

A small laugh escaped Andrew's lips. He shook his head. "No. I just…" he gave Michael a speculative look, "why not?"

"Andrew," Michael said with a smile but in a tone that said 'you're my friend, but go away, you're being annoying.'

"Okay, okay," Andrew said, relenting. "Have you finished any of the paperwork yet?"

Michael nodded as he drew another line on the blueprints. "Top tray," he said, briefly motioning to the black plastic trays on his desk.

Andrew strode over and plucked the papers from the tray, but as he did so, he saw beside the tray a little note with what looked like a date and time for dinner reservations scrawled on it. A dinner date for Michael and Sara this weekend. He glanced over at Michael who was busy working on blueprints. Andrew grinned at him before leaving his office.

Just as he shut the door behind him, Andrew was greeted with the face of his girlfriend. Lily raised her eyebrows at him.

"You weren't teasing him, were you?" she asked him, acting like a protective older sister for Michael.

Andrew grinned and kissed her on the cheek. "No, not at all." He flashed her the papers he had in his hands. "Just getting the completed paperwork, that's all."

She took the paper work from him and hooked her arm with his as she led him away from Michael's office. "Good." Lily smiled at him. "Lindsey just called me and asked if she could eat lunch with us since Sara's ditching her for Michael."

Andrew chuckled. "That and she probably wants to gossip about them with us."

Lily laughed with him. "Yeah."

"You know, they already have a date planned for this weekend," Andrew said.

"Really?"

Andrew nodded. Then an idea hit him. A grin formed on his face.

---

Lindsey stepped into a small diner. It was filled with the loud noises of people chattering and silverware clinking together. She scanned the many booths, searching for the heads of her friends.

"Lindsey! Over here!" Lily called out, spotting her first.

Lindsey smiled and walked over to their booth, sliding into the seat across from Lily and Andrew. "Hey guys."

"Hey there Lindsey!" Andrew said before stuffing his face with his burger.

Lily rolled her eyes and turned her attention to her friend. "So are you just as excited as we are about the recent hookup of our favorite engineer and doctor?" she asked with a smile.

Lindsey chuckled. "Please, 'excited' doesn't even begin to describe how I feel about those two. After months and months of having to watch them make googly eyes at each other…"

Lily laughed with her. "Yeah, it really is about damn time."

Lindsey leaned forward in her seat. "You guys have to tell me all that you know because Sara gave me jack squat at the hospital."

At that moment, Andrew swallowed the bit of cheeseburger in his mouth. "Well, the two of them have a dinner date planned this weekend. I saw a note on Michael's desk about reservations to a restaurant with a French name that I can't pronounce."

Another laugh escaped from Lily's laugh. "It's probably that one restaurant down by the river. It has a really beautiful view."

"Yeah, anyway," Andrew continued, "I was thinking that we spy on them while they're on their little date." A mischievous grin formed on his face.

"Spy?" Lily asked, raising a brow. "And what purpose would that serve?"

"You remember what happened on their last 'date'?" Andrew pointed out, reminding them about the incident.

"The chances of that happening again are pretty slim," Lindsey said.

"Come on you guys," Andrew said, "we got to look out for them!"

Lily laughed. "You just want to see them make out!"

Andrew chuckled. "You guys aren't curious to see what their first 'official' date will be like?"

"I am," Lindsey said with a grin. "Count me in!"

Andrew turned to his girlfriend. "Lily?"

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Fine, but I'm only doing it to prevent something like what happened last time from happen again."

Andrew gave both girls a bright grin. "Of course. Of course."

---

The rest of the week passed by in a flash and Michael soon found himself walking down the main hallway of Sara's apartment complex towards the elevator doors. He was dressed in black slacks and a light blue buttoned up shirt that really brought out his eyes. He wore no tie, opting instead to leave the top two buttons undone. Over his shirt he wore a black suit jacket that matched his pants. In his hand was a single red rose. With his other hand, he pushed the elevator button and it opened with a 'ding!'

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Michael, Andrew, Lily, and Lindsey were hiding in the stairwell on Sara's floor. They hid behind a wall, but they still had a view of Sara's door. They were just waiting for Michael to show up, chatting with each other to kill time.

_Ding!_

The elevator doors opened and out stepped Michael. He began to head to Sara's apartment. Lily quickly told her companions to hush up. They watched as Michael took a deep breath and raised his hand to knock at her door. After about thirty seconds, the door opened, revealing the auburn haired doctor.

The three extra wheels in the stairwell saw Michael still instantly at the sight of Sara, his gaze shyly looking her up and down. Sara wore a little black dress. It had short sleeves and a modest v-cut neckline. The dress flowed down her thighs, just an inch or two past her knees. Her hair was up in a simple twist. Lindsey grinned, feeling a bit of pride for her friend. Judging by Michael's current posture, she knew that Sara had completely blown him away.

They watched as Michael opened his mouth and spoke, but they couldn't hear what he was saying. They did see Sara look down, flushed, smiling a bright white smile at whatever he said to her. Lily and Lindsey quietly "awed!" at the moment. Andrew just grinned.

Michael then handed Sara the red rose he had and she took the flower gently into her hands, looking down at it pensively. Andrew and Lily heard Lindsey quietly hiss at the sight of the action, as if it was painful to watch.

"What?" Andrew whispered to the brunette next to him.

"Sara doesn't like receiving flowers," Lindsey told them.

"Really?" Lily asked, perturbed. She thought every girl liked to receive flowers as a gift. "Why not?"

Lindsey gave them a sheepish look. "It's kind of complicated."

They turned back to the couple. Sara gave Michael a light smile and invited him into her apartment. "Doesn't seem like Sara minds much," Andrew remarked.

Lily nodded, agreeing. "And she can't really fault Michael for it. He doesn't know that little fact about her, but he will."

Lindsey nodded with her. Sara wouldn't end things with him just because Michael gave her one little flower. It wasn't the end of the world.

After a couple of minutes, the pair emerged from Sara's apartment and began heading towards the elevator. Michael had his arm wrapped snugly around Sara's waist. Andrew grinned at that. Michael pushed the elevator call button with his free hand and then he looked down at the lady on his arm. Sara smiled and glanced back up at him.

"Kiss her…Kiss her man…" Andrew chanted underneath his breath. Lily quietly giggled, silently hoping that Michael would do as her boyfriend said.

Instead, Sara was the one that made the move. She leaned up and gently grasped his jaw in her hand, lightly brushing her lips against his. The elevator doors opened, and the kissing couple stepped in. Andrew's grin grew even bigger.

"How much you want to bet that they're making out right now?"

---

Sara stared out at the breathtaking view of the Chicago River. Thousands of lights from hundreds of buildings reflected off the river, creating a wonderful backdrop for any romantic occasion. She focused her attention back to Michael and saw that they were going to be eating dinner at one of her favorite restaurants in the city, one she frequented quite often.

"Mademoiselle Tancredi!"

Sara smiled at the Frenchman that greeted her and Michael at the front desk. "Hello Jacques."

Jacques took a hold of Sara's hand and placed a kiss on the back of it. "It is always a pleasure to see you." He then turned to Michael. "You are Mademoiselle Tancredi's date, I presume?"

Michael nodded. "Michael Scofield," he said introducing himself.

Jacques gave him a friendly smile. "Monsieur, you are a very lucky man," he said, his accent thick. Michael returned his smile. Jacques then turned his attention to a little leather bound book in front of him on the desk. "Now, let me see…" His finger trailed down a column and he found Michael's name. "Ah! Scofield right here! Reservation for two!" He grinned brightly at the couple, picking up a couple of menus. "Please follow me."

The couple followed Jacques as he led them to a table near the window with a grand view of the river and the sparkling lights that shone onto it.

"Here! The best table in the house!" Jacques beamed.

Michael helped Sara into her seat, before seating himself. Sara turned towards the Frenchman and smiled. "Thank you, Jacques."

"Thank you," Michael said as well.

He nodded. "A waiter will be with you soon," Jacques said, "I hope you enjoy your dinner." He turned to Sara once more and gave her one last warm friendly smile before walking away.

Michael turned to Sara. "Jacques is quite friendly, and he seems to know you well."

She nodded at him. "I come here often. It's actually my favorite restaurant in all of Chicago. They have the best filet mignon and the dessert is good too," Sara told him with a smile.

Michael couldn't help but smile back at her. "I guess I must be lucky," he said as he picked up his menu, "to have picked out your favorite restaurant in all of Chicago." He looked through the menu. "The filet mignon, you say?" Sara couldn't help but smile either.

Meanwhile, at a table far enough away for the couple to not notice them but close enough for them to see the couple were Andrew, Lily, and Lindsey. Lily sighed wistfully as she looked around the fancy restaurant, smelled the enticing scent of rich food, and heard gentle romantic music play in the background.

She turned towards Andrew. "How come you hardly ever take me to places like this?" she asked him.

He looked at the menu, his eyes wide. "Have you seen the prices for this place?" Andrew said, showing her the menu.

Lily took a look, and she blinked while her mouth formed a simple, "Oh." The prices were very expensive; something Andrew's paycheck wouldn't be able to pay with frequent outings. He was barely able to pay for the table that they were sitting at!

"Hush you guys!" Lindsey said, snapping her fingers at them, trying to get them back to focus on their mission. "We're here to watch Michael and Sara, not to complain about silly little things."

"Right, right," Andrew said, turning his attention back onto the couple.

Michael and Sara were in deep conversation as they ate their dinner. Now and then one or both of them would laugh at what the other said. It was… so normal… so boring… much to Andrew's dismay.

"Can't they do something a bit more…interesting?" Andrew said.

"Well, what did you expect? For them to sweep aside the silverware and do it on the table?" Lily asked him.

"Well, that would be interesting." Lily rolled her eyes at him.

Lindsey kept her eye on the couple. "I'm starting to think that spying on them was a mistake. I could be doing something else more productive right now."

At that moment, Michael looked in their direction, having sensed someone watching him and Sara. All three of them ducked behind their menus.

"Oh shit! Do you think he saw us?" Andrew whispered to the girls.

"I don't know!" Lily said.

"I hope not! How embarrassing!" Lindsey added.

Unfortunately for them, Michael did see them. Nothing passed by his keen eye. It also helped that espionage wasn't one of his friends' skills. He shook his head. "I can't believe it." He then paused. "No, wait, it's Andrew. I can believe it."

Sara gave him a quizzical look. "What are you talking about, Michael?"

Michael motioned to a table where three people sat with their menus held up to cover their faces. "Andrew, Lily, and Lindsey are here."

Sara glanced behind herself. "All three of them, together? But why?"

"To spy on us, I bet. Andrew probably spearheaded this project of theirs," Michael said.

Sara scooted her chair out from underneath the table and moved to get up, but Michael grabbed her hand before she could. "What are you doing?" he asked her.

"I'm going to go tell them to leave us alone," she said, wanting her privacy with Michael.

Michael shook his head. "No, that won't work, not with Andrew. He's persistent."

"So what should we do?"

Michael looked down and tapped his finger on the table as the cogs and wheels in his head turned. Then, suddenly, a sparkle appeared in his eye. "I have a plan." He leaned over and began whispering his brilliant plan into Sara's ear.

Andrew peeked from behind his menu and saw that the man from the front desk, Jacques, was at Michael and Sara's table. Michael was talking to him and then he motioned his head towards the musicians playing their instruments in the room. Jacques nodded and strode over to the conductor of the group to speak to him. The music changed to a different melody. Michael stood up from his chair and he then helped Sara to her feet.

"Hey you guys," Andrew said to Lily and Lindsey, "I think they're gonna dance."

Both girls peeked from behind their menus, wanting to see the moment. They saw Michael and Sara begin to walk out to the dance floor. Michael nodded towards Jacques and the Frenchman nodded back before exiting the building through the front. Sara wrapped her arms around Michael's shoulders and neck while he held her waist. The two danced in a gentle intimate sway to the music… but then suddenly, they changed positions with Michael grasping one of Sara's hands, and in a flash the couple was running out of the restaurant.

"What the hell?" Andrew said, standing up abruptly. He chased after them.

"Andrew!" Lily called as she and Lindsey ran after him.

The three of them reached the front exit only to see Michael's car speed away. Jacques was standing on the curb, waving goodbye at the car.

"Oh that slick bastard!" Andrew said in part annoyance and part admiration towards his friend as he realized what Michael had done. He had used the dance as a distraction to mask the fact that the two were plotting escape. They had Jacques ready their car so they could make a quick getaway, thus losing Andrew, Lily, and Lindsey.

Lily slightly chuckled. "I guess we should all just call it a night, huh?"

Andrew shook his head, determination set on his face. "No way."

---

Sara couldn't stop laughing as they drove away. "Oh what I would pay to see the looks on their faces!" she said in between her laughs.

Michael chuckled along with her. "We'll have to ask Jacques about it when we pay him for dinner and for helping us out."

Sara nodded. "So what now?"

"Well, where would you like to go?" Michael asked her. Sara shrugged. Michael then spotted an ice cream parlor. "How about we get some dessert?" he suggested.

Sara saw the parlor as well and nodded. "Do you think they'll have cookie dough ice cream?"

"They better," Michael said as he parked the car. Sara laughed once more.

They strode into the ice cream parlor, hand in hand. The guy behind the counter was about ready to fall asleep from boredom. It was late, and rarely did people buy ice cream in the winter. No one was there except for the couple that just walked in.

"Excuse me?" Sara said, trying to get the guy's attention.

He blinked and snorted out of his stupor. "What? Oh…Oh!" he said as he realized he had customers. "What can I get you?"

"One bowl of cookie dough ice cream please," Michael ordered.

The ice cream guy nodded and began scooping scoopfuls into a bowl. "Here you go sir," he said as he handed Michael the bowl along with two spoons.

"Thanks," Michael said as he paid.

He and Sara then slid into one of the booths along the wall in a corner. Sara took a spoonful of ice cream and placed it into her mouth, relishing the sweetness of it. Michael smiled at her.

"It may not be a fancy dessert from a fancy restaurant, but it's still good," he remarked as he took a spoonful himself.

Sara lightly chuckled. "No, it's even better than good. It's perfect." She smiled. "No one's ever taken me out for ice cream on a date before."

"Really?"

"Yeah," she said.

"You've been gypped by your past boyfriends then," Michael said in humor.

Sara laughed at that. She was used to fancy dinners at fancy restaurants, but this, enjoying something as simple as ice cream alone with the one you cared about—no clattering silverware, no chattering from nearby tables—was a million times better. Just a quiet little intimate ice cream outing.

Sara smiled. She looked at Michael and was overcome with the urge to kiss him. She dropped her spoon into the bowl of ice cream they were sharing and brought her hand up to cup his cheek, pulling his face down to hers. A bit of ice cream was still in his mouth as she kissed him, so Sara made him share the sweet cream with her as her tongue met his. Sara heard a moan, but she wasn't sure if she had made the sound or if Michael did. She finally released his mouth, but she kept her palms on his face, cradling his head. Michael leaned his forehead lightly on hers and they both let out a happy sigh.

With half lidded heady eyes, Sara whispered, "Thank you for a wonderful first date, Michael."

Michael smiled. "You're very welcome," he said before covering her mouth with his in another searing sweet kiss.

---

"Andrew," Lily whined, "can we just call it a night now? Lindsey went home already!"

She and Andrew were waiting once again in the stairwell of Sara's apartment. Lindsey was with them before, but left after an hour of waiting, proclaiming that she was too tired to wait. And now Lily was feeling the same way.

"No, not yet," Andrew told her.

Lily sighed in frustration. She was about ready to knock her boyfriend unconscious and drag his ass out of there if she had to, but at that moment the elevator doors opened. Out stepped Michael and Sara, hand in hand. Andrew quickly shushed Lily to be quiet.

They watched as the couple made it to Sara's doorway and began making out. Andrew grinned and excitedly said, "Score!" in a quiet voice. Lily rolled her eyes at him but she was also happy for the couple in the hallway. They finally ended the kiss and Sara smiled up at Michael. She grabbed a hold of his hand and led him inside her apartment, shutting the door behind them.

Lily sighed in relief. "Now can we go?" she asked her boyfriend.

"No, we can't, we have to—"

"Andrew," Lily said sternly, "if we don't leave in the next fifteen minutes, you will not be getting any tail for the next three months." It was the worst kind of threat she could think of.

"But Lily…" Andrew began, meaning to stay there in the stairwell longer.

"Andrew!" Lily said, growing impatient.

"Ahem," a voice coughed.

The two of them turned and saw Michael standing before them. He wore a disbelieving smile on his face and shook his head at them.

"M-Michael? What are you doing out here?" Andrew stammered.

Michael walked over to the elevator and pushed the button. "What does it look like I'm doing?"

"But I thought…"Andrew began.

Michael lightly chuckled. "Go home you guys," he said before stepping onto the elevator. The doors closed leaving Andrew and Lily alone in the hallway.

"You heard him," Lily said hooking her arm up with Andrew's, "let's go." She pushed the button for the other elevator beside the one that Michael took. The doors opened and she dragged her boyfriend inside.

---

Sara took the pins holding her hair up out and her auburn locks fell about her shoulders in silky waves.

_Knock. Knock._

She walked over to her front door and opened it to find Michael on the other side. He had fooled Andrew once again that night, making his friend believe that he was leaving for his own apartment. Instead Michael had gotten off the elevator on the floor below Sara's floor and then doubled back up to her apartment.

"I got rid of them," Michael told her with a grin as he walked in.

She grinned back and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Good," she said as she kissed him and shut her apartment door behind him.

---


	16. Romantic Interlude

**AN:**  
Takes a deep breath 

I am really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really SORRY! 

breathes again 

I have many reasons for not updating for nearly 3 months, but none of them will justify me leaving you guys hanging. I'm hoping this smut-filled Michael/Sara chapter will be enough though.

It's unbetaed because I thought that I shouldn't waste anymore time in getting this out to you guys, so excuse me if there are any mistakes. 

I haven't abandoned this story and I never will. I hope you enjoy the chapter!

* * *

---

Many sensations ran throughout Michael's body as he kissed Sara. Most of those sensations pooled downward to his lower regions. He felt her push her apartment front door closed. He also heard a "click" as she locked it as well. Her arm then went back to being wrapped around his neck, her fingertips tickling his nape.

Sara moaned softly against his lips. The onslaught of his warm mouth was too much. With every caress of his lips and his tongue, she was becoming more and more like a boneless mass, unable to stand on her own. She clung to him desperately as her knees grew weak and every inch of her body became hot.

Michael grabbed a hold of her slim frame and brought her body against his to steady her. He groaned. The feeling of Sara's body pressed up to his sent burning fire all over. Sara clung even more desperately onto him. He then walked her over to her living room until her lower backside touched the back of her sofa. There, Michael hoisted Sara up on top of the couch backrest, still kissing her. Sara's hands left Michael's neck and she pulled off his black suit jacket. Her hands then moved to grip his belt, bringing him to the place in between her legs. The hem of her dress rode up her thighs as she wrapped her long milky legs around his waist. Michael groaned once again.

"Sara…" he said breathlessly.

"My bed… Michael…" Sara said, her heavy breath pounding his lips.

Sara felt his arms move down her body, his hands cupping her bottom and thighs, and she was lifted up and swung around before Michael began to carry her off to her bedroom.

They continued to kiss as they crossed the threshold into Sara's bedroom. Automatically, Sara kicked the door shut behind Michael with her foot. Michael brought her over to her bed and laid her down on the soft red bed sheets. He stared at her for a moment. Sara's auburn hair was splayed across her pillows and her lips were swollen from their kissing. She was absolutely beautiful. Michael smiled down at her and combed his fingers through her hair.

"Don't you think this is a little to fast of us?" he asked her, considering that they had just gone on their 'first' date.

Sara lazily smiled back at him and brought her hands up to the front of his chest. "No, not really," she answered him as her hands worked deftly on the buttons of his shirt, unbuttoning one after the other.

Michael's smile turned into a grin. He dipped his head downwards and gently brushed his lips against hers before moving them towards her ear. "I thought you were a nice girl," he whispered huskily before nibbling on her earlobe.

Sara gasped at the feeling of his lips on her. She tugged hard on the final button and it popped off Michael's shirt. "We all know…oh…" Sara moaned, "nice girls finish last…"

With those words she began to slip his shirt off his shoulders. Michael sat up and took the blue shirt of completely, tossing it to the side in a wrinkled heap. His hands went to Sara's upper body, taking a hold of it, bringing her up to him. Sara felt his thumbs grace the under-curve of her breasts through her dress as she sat up, and the feeling sent tingling sensations all throughout her body. His hands then moved to her back, his fingertips pinching the zipper of her dress, easing it down. Sara felt her black dress become loose and it was slipped away from her body to join Michael's shirt on the floor.

She lay back down on the bed and pulled him down with her. With her hands griping his naked back Sara felt lean muscle. She let her palms and her fingers explore the planes of his back, stroking here and there while Michael did a little exploring of his own.

His hands roamed the curves of her sides and her smooth stomach while his lips traveled the length and width of her neck. Michael then felt her warm hands slide down his back to the belt of his pants then to the buckle. Sara raised her lips to his ears.

"I can't be the only one in their underwear," she whispered as she began to undo the buckle.

Michael kissed her and said, "Soon you won't be in anything at all." His pants, as well as his socks, joined the pile of clothes on the floor.

Sara rose up to kiss him on the lips and Michael took the opportunity to take hold of the clasp of her bra. It became slack against her chest and was slowly pulled away to be dropped to the floor. Michael pushed Sara back down onto the bed, his hard lean chest pressing against her now naked breasts. His lips left a hot wet trail from her own down her neck, then to her chest. Sara arched into his touch, relishing the graceful ministrations of his mouth on her body as her hands moved down to the waistline of his boxers.

She pushed them over his butt, down to his knees, as far as she could reach. Michael then separated his mouth from her breasts in order to pull and kick the boxers off completely. Once it had joined the haphazard pile of clothes on the floor, Michael slid his now fully naked body over Sara's, his erection intimately touching between her thighs.

"These," Michael said slipping a finger into her panties, touching the hot skin beneath, "have to go."

Sara gave him a not so coy grin. "By all means," she said raising her hips a little bit.

Michael eagerly slipped her last article of clothing off her body, leaving Sara completely nude before him. He stared at the vision of beauty, his green eyes drinking in and absorbing her completely. It was as if he was trying to commit her image to memory, from every curve down to the smallest of freckles. Sara flushed all over, both from embarrassment and arousal. Mostly arousal though. She reached up and coaxed Michael to bring his weight down to cover her…to kiss her… caress her… make love to and with her.

Their lips found each other in a heated kiss. "Michael…" Sara whispered to him, wanting so badly for him to be inside her, her desire coming out of every pore of her body.

Michael nodded against her lips. He wanted her more than anything in the world. Because of the circumstances that Michael grew up in and the way he was, he always thought that he didn't deserve anything he desired, but here, with Sara, that thought didn't exist. She had always made him feel wanted, needed, like he was someone of worth. She made him feel that happiness was possible without having to sacrifice something in return.

"Michael…" Sara said again and this time Michael kissed her in the most gentle and intimate way, pouring all his feelings, sensuality, and desire into the single action. Releasing her lips, he gave her a smile, and then reached down to the floor for his pants. He fished out his wallet from his back pocket and retrieved a small foil packet from it.

Sara's eyebrows lifted in amusement. Michael grinned at her. "I usually come prepared," he said, "just in case."

Sara smiled. She then reached for the drawer of her nightstand and pulled out a box of condoms. "I like being prepared too."

Michael let out a small chuckle and rolled the rubber sheath over himself. Sara encouraged him to come to her, and he slid his tanned body over her light one. The head of his arousal was positioned right at her slick wet entrance. For a brief moment, the couple stared into each other's face, their eyes mating with each other as a prelude to what they were about to do. Sara then cradled Michael's face with her palms and brought him down to kiss her. He then pushed inside her.

Sara welcomed the invasion of his flesh. And she relished the exquisite friction they created together when Michael moved within her. Moaning against his lips, Sara instinctively arched her body into his. Her legs wrapped themselves around his body, encouraging him to thrust deeper and harder. His name escaped her lips many times in heavy blissful pants.

Michael basked in the sheer ecstasy of being with Sara, being inside of her, being one with her. Her wet walls of flesh pulsed around him, sending waves and ripples of pleasure to each limb of his body. He silenced Sara's moans with his mouth, swallowing each one, becoming drunk off them. Michael felt one of her hands slip up to his shaven head and grip it, bringing his lips down on hers full force.

Together, they moved and kissed in an endless dance, letting their pleasure build up to their climax. With a cry Sara came. She clung to Michael, her nails pressing into his skin, her heated aroused flesh clamping down on him, making him follow her in orgasm. Michael groaned, and then possessed her mouth with his as the two of them rode out the waves of sensations passing between them.

Michael's head fell to the space next to her head and throat, burying his face into her stray strands of auburn hair, fully sated. The only sound in the air was that of their heavy breathing. Sara turned her head and softly placed a gentle kiss on his temple. Michael smiled blissfully and turned his face to her to press his lips to hers in an intimate kiss before rolling off her to her side. Sara immediately snuggled up to him, tangling her legs with his, and he held her naked body in his arms. He raised one of his hands to her head and began combing his fingers through her hair, feeling the layer of sweat that not only covered her forehead, but her entire body as well as his own.

"Tired?" Michael murmured to her.

Sara nodded against his chest. "But I don't want to go to sleep just yet," she said.

Michael smiled and nodded. He didn't want to fall asleep either. For a long the two of them laid in bed just holding each other, basking in the afterglow of their lovemaking. In the blissful silence, Michael thought about the two of them and all that they have been through together, from the very first time that they met.

Sara lifted her head and saw him deep in thought. "What are you thinking about Michael?" she asked.

Michael smiled down at her. "I was thinking about the night we first met each other."

Sara lowered her head back down to rest on his chest. Her lips curved into a smile. "One could say I fell for you from the start," she told him, remembering how she fell into his arms that night.

Sara felt his chest rumble in soft laughter. "Then why did it take so long for us to get here?" he playfully teased.

Sara laughed. She rose up and leaned her upper body on him in order to look him in the eyes. He looked back at her with such intense feeling that Sara began to flush. She reached out with one of her hands and caressed the side of his face.

"You know," she began, "the first thing I noticed about you were your eyes."

Michael's eyes lifted in curiosity. "My eyes?"

Sara smiled. "Yeah," she said still stroking him. "I don't think I've ever seen a more perfect shade of green with a pinch of blue before. And the way you looked at me… It was as if you were really looking at me, like I was really there." She then blushed in embarrassment at revealing such an intimate detail of her feelings for him.

Michael reached for her chin and brought her lips down to kiss his. Releasing her lips he told her, "The first thing I noticed about you was your smile." He began to trace her lips with the tip of one of his slender fingers.

Sara couldn't help but smile. "What about my smile?" she asked him.

"It's so beautiful." A kiss. "So warm." Another kiss. "And I hoped that you would look my way and smile at me that night," Michael told her.

Becoming overcome with emotion for the man lying with her in bed, Sara covered his mouth with hers with a hot fervor. Responding to her, Michael gripped her tightly and then rolled her onto her back upon the wrinkled bed sheets, reaching for the box of condoms Sara left on top of her nightstand.

Michael was then immediately grateful that Sara had also come prepared that night.

---


	17. Small World

Author's Chapter Notes: 

Hello there!

I apologize for the long wait once again. I know I promised to get the chapter out to you guys weeks ago, but I had personal problems going on at the time that were a bit distressing(and didn't put me in the mood to write). But things are fine now, so don't worry.

Enjoy the chapter! 

---

A gentle amount of sunshine filtered into the room through the curtains, splaying across the couple that lay hidden under the bed sheets. Michael lay behind Sara with an arm wrapped around her hip and stomach, their hands entwined with each other, and their legs tangled together in an intimate twist. Michael had one word to describe this moment: Perfection. All his life, because of his Low Latent Inhibition condition, outside stimuli bombarded him from left and right, never leaving him at peace. But now, as he lay with Sara in his arms, there was nothing. It was quiet, peaceful, as if they were the only two people that existed right then and there. Michael enjoyed that feeling. Sara completely took over his senses. He watched her as she slumbered, heard the soft breathing coming from her, felt her smooth skin against his, and smelt the sweet scent of her and their sex.

Michael brought one of his hands up to Sara's shoulder and brushed away the auburn locks of hair that covered it. The tips tickled his chest and neck as the strands were moved aside. He gently rubbed the back of her shoulder with his thumb before lifting his head and kissed it. Sara didn't stir. Michael smiled and then kissed her shoulder again, then began to leave a trail of kisses along her neck to the side of her jaw. This time Sara began to stir and her body curled into his mouth, enjoying his kisses immensely. She turned to face him, her eyes still closed, and reached for his face to bring him to kiss her on the lips. Michael kissed her gently, nipping at her lips, and she let out a soft sound of pleasure. Her eyes then half opened and she smiled at him.

"What a wonderful way to be waken up," Sara commented softly

Michael chuckled and kissed her once more. "It was my pleasure."

She kissed him back. "Not all yours," Sara said with a grin before climbing lazily on top of him and straddling his waist.

The bed sheet slid down her back, revealing her naked upper body to the cool air of the room and Michael's eyes. He relished the warm feeling of her hands as they slid up his chest in a slow caress. Leaning downwards to press her lips against his, Sara kissed him tenderly. Wanting to deepen their kiss, Michael reached up with his hand. His fingertips barely touched her hair before Sara softly pulled away. She gave him another dazzling smile then moved off of him and the bed, taking a bed sheet with her.

Michael looked at her, puzzled, but smiling, and filled with desire. "Where are you going?"

Sara wrapped the blanket loosely around her body. "I'm going to go take a shower," she said as she headed towards the bedroom door, on her way to the bathroom. Stopping at the door way, she looked back at Michael still lying on her bed and smiled again. "You're welcome to join me," she said before walking out.

Michael didn't need a second invitation and followed after her.

---

After a steamy hour in the shower, where the two learned how talented the other was with their mouth and hands, the couple finally emerged from the bathroom. Sara was dressed in a light blue fluffy bath robe while Michael was clad only in a white towel wrapped around his waist. Sara let out a little squeak of surprise and laughter when Michael picked her up, carrying her back to the bedroom. He laid her back on her bed and climbed over her body. Sara smiled up at him and reached for his face to kiss him. His mouth pushed her head back onto the soft mattress while his hands slipped down her body to untie her robe. His fingers worked deftly and pushed the robe open, revealing the naked body beneath the fabric. Michael then began leaving a trail of kisses down Sara's body, but as he reached her navel, Sara's stomach rumbled.

Sara laughed, blushed, and clapped her hands over her stomach, trying to hide the rumbling, but it spoke once again of its hunger. Michael laughed and kissed her tummy.

"Sounds like you're hungry," he said, but then his stomach growled too, as if agreeing with Sara's stomach about the need for food.

"Sounds like you are too," Sara shot back playfully. She sat up and began to tie up her robe. "How about we eat first then resume this afterwards?"

Michael flashed her a smile. "All right."

Sara smiled back and pecked him on the cheek. "Get dressed while I'll go cook up some breakfast for the two of us."

"Okay," Michael said smiling after her as she walked out of the room. Letting out a content sigh, he stood up from the bed and scanned the floor for his clothes. Finding them in scattered wrinkled piles with Sara's clothes, Michael got dressed and then followed the scent and sound of bacon frying in the frying pan out in the kitchen.

Michael came up behind Sara as she stood at the stove and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Smells good," he whispered into her ear.

Sara smiled. "It should be done in a couple of minutes and there are a couple of slices of bread in the toaster," she told him.

Michael grinned and said, "I wasn't talking about the bacon." He then kissed her temple and let go of her waist, moving to go set the table while Sara chuckled softly and flushed.

The doorbell rang as Michael set down a couple of plates on the table and Sara looked to him at the sound.

"Could you go answer that?" she asked him.

"Sure."

Michael wondered who would be at the door as he walked. 'As long as it's not Andrew,' he thought with humor. Reaching the door and opening it, Michael did not find Andrew on the other side, but a stranger, a man with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes.

"Can I help you?" Michael asked the man.

The other man looked at Michael from top to bottom, taking in the wrinkled appearance of his clothes. Michael could see the man's eyes come to some kind of conclusion. "Let me guess," he began raising an eyebrow at him, "you're Sara's boyfriend?"

Before Michael could ask who he was, he heard Sara's voice calling for him, asking him who was at the door. He turned and saw her walk up to him at the front door. Her eyes then lit up in recognition at the man standing just outside her apartment.

"Vincent, what are you doing here?" she asked joyfully reaching out to him for a hug.

Vincent smiled and hugged her back. "Is it a crime for me to visit my little sister?"

"No," she told him, "I just wasn't expecting you."

"Apparently," he commented as he took in the sight of his step-sister dressed only in a bathrobe with her boyfriend standing at her side.

Sara looked down at her lack of dressing and then crossed her arms across her upper body. "I uh…" she said, at a loss for words.

Vincent laughed with good humor and held out his hand to Michael. "I'm Vincent Jones, Sara's step-brother."

Michael shook his hand. "Michael Scofield, Sara's boyfriend." It felt rather good calling himself that.

"Ah, so _you're_ Michael," Vincent said. "I heard a lot about you from my mom and the twins."

"Vincent, what are you doing here in Chicago?" Sara asked again.

"Book signing tour," he answered. "In a couple of days I'm going to be signing books at the mall. I'd just got off my flight a couple of hours ago and thought I'd pay you a visit."

"Oh," Sara said. She then turned to Michael. "My brother is a novelist."

"I see."

Vincent sniffed the air. "What's that smell?"

"That would be breakfast," Sara told him.

"Would you like to join us?" Michael asked politely.

Vincent grinned. "Sure." He looked to Sara and said, "You should probably go get dressed first."

"Uh, yeah, right," Sara said. She then looked to Michael. "You'll be all right?" Michael nodded reassuringly.

"Relax Sara," Vincent told her jokingly, "I won't beat him up for deflowering my little sister just yet."

"I was 'deflowered' a long time ago, Vincent," Sara said as she walked back to her bedroom. Vincent just laughed.

He then turned to Michael and said, "So, how about that breakfast?"

"Sure," Michael said a little nervously.

"Hey man, I was just joking," Vincent assured him.

"It's just I know how protective older brothers can be. I have one myself, although I think it's a lot different when a little sister is concerned."

"It is different. Believe me, if this was ten years ago, when Sara was a teenager, I would have kicked your ass by now. But Sara's an adult now and I know she can take care of herself," Vincent said as they walked to the kitchen together. "But just to get it out of the way, if you hurt her, I will castrate you."

"I don't intend to hurt her," Michael told him as he sat down at the table.

Vincent smiled. "I know. I can tell you're a good guy," he said, sitting down as well. "It also helps that my mom and the twins seem to like you a lot." He then chuckled. "Did you know that they named their dog after you?"

"Really?" Michael asked as he poured himself some orange juice.

"Yeah," he said, taking the carton after Michael was done with it, pouring himself a glass. "Angie said it was because the dog was just like you, nice, fun, and it also likes 'Auntie Sara a whole lot!'" Vincent said, mimicking his niece's words...

Michael chuckled a little at that and brought his glass up to his lips.

Vincent did the same, but did it with a slight smirk and grin before saying, "And I guess it fits since the dog tried humping her leg that one time."

Michael coughed, choking on the juice, sputtering a little bit. Vincent laughed and patted him on the back to help him out.

"Joke man, joke," he told Michael good naturedly.

"Vincent, stop it!" Sara said, stepping into her kitchen, now dressed in a pair of jeans and a blue blouse, with her hair up in a ponytail.

"Sorry," Vincent said to his sister.

"Don't apologize to me," Sara told him with a stern look.

"Sorry Michael," Vincent said, this time facing him.

"It's okay," Michael said, clearing his throat while Sara rubbed his back.

"Really Vincent, I expected better of you," Sara said admonishingly.

"I said I was sorry. How many times do you want me to say it?"

"Sara, it's all right," Michael said with a smile in order to stop the siblings from arguing, "Really, I'm all right."

"Okay then," Sara said.

Vincent looked at the couple with amazement. "Wow, what kind of magic spell did you put on her, Michael?" He leaned back in his chair. "By now she would have lectured me on how to behave."

Michael smiled at that while Sara shot her brother a glare. Vincent chuckled and then stood up from the table, his breakfast plate now empty.

"Well, I think I've imposed on you two enough for the day," he said, "and I've got a few more people to visit, so I'll be going now."

"Please do," Sara said.

"Aw, come on Sara, you don't mean that."

Sara gave in. "Next time call before you come and stop harassing my boyfriend."

"All right," Vincent said, giving her a hug. He then turned to Michael. "It was nice meeting you, Michael."

"It was nice meeting you too."

The couple stood up and walked Vincent to the door. "Take care you guys," Vincent said with a wave and left.

Sara shut the door and then slipped an arm into Michael's. "Sorry about that, Michael."

"It's all right," he said kissing her forehead. "Your brother seems like a good humored guy."

"Yeah, I think he gets it from his mom," Sara said. She smiled. "He and my step-mom are the best things that ever happened to my family."

Michael smiled with her and pulled her into a hug.

---

"Tancredi!"

Sara didn't flinch at the sound of her boss's loud demanding voice. Unlike the new doctors, she was used to the strict sternness her boss projected and wasn't afraid of it. It was the next day and she was at work, sitting at her desk, looking over patients' files and other paperwork. She looked up and saw Dr. Reilly standing in the doorway of the hospital office. "Yes?"

Dr. Reilly strode the five steps to her desk. "Do you have any idea where Stewart is?" she asked.

Sara frowned. Lindsey hadn't come to work yet. Nor had she called to let the hospital know she wouldn't be coming in if she couldn't. It was rather unlike her. Sara shook her head in response to her boss's question. "I tried calling her, but she isn't answering."

Dr. Reilly let out a huff of frustration and annoyance. "If you do get in contact with her, tell her that she's lucky that she's one of my best otherwise I would have fired her by now." She turned and started for the door but turned her head to look over her shoulder. "And tell her also that she has clinic duty for a whole week next week."

When Dr. Reilly left the office, Sara let out a sigh and then reached for the phone. She would try calling Lindsey again before she headed out to lunch. She was starting to worry if Lindsey was all right.

---

"Hey Michael, pay attention!" Andrew said, snapping his fingers in Michael's face.

Michael turned his gaze away from the window and towards his friend. He, Lily, and Andrew were seated at a table at a diner, eating lunch and talking while waiting for Sara and Lindsey to join them. Well, Andrew and Lily were the ones talking. Michael was the one anxiously waiting.

Michael smiled apologetically at his friend. "Sorry Andrew, what were you saying?"

Andrew sighed and shook his head while Lily chuckled. "Sara will be here soon, Michael," she told him, "there's no need to keep a watch out for her."

"Love has changed ya man," Andrew joked. "I don't even know you anymore."

Michael chuckled and took a sip of his drink, trying to act nonchalant. He glanced outside the window once more and saw Sara's auburn head. He turned to the entrance of the diner and saw her step in, stopping near the entrance, scanning the tables for them. Michael called out to her. "Sara!"

She turned, caught sight of them, smiled, and walked over to their table. Michael stood up from his seat and kissed her as she reached them. Sara smiled and returned the kiss before the two of them sat down. Andrew grinned at them.

"You two are too sickeningly cute," he teased.

Lily socked him in the shoulder. "Hush," she told him before facing Sara. "Where's Lindsey?"

"I don't know," Sara replied. "She didn't come in to work today."

"Is she okay?" Michael asked her.

Sara turned to him. "I don't know," she said again. "I've tried calling her, but she hasn't answered any of my calls. It's not like her."

Michael heard the worry and concern in her voice. "Maybe we could stop by her place to check and see if she's all right after lunch," he suggested in an attempt to assuage Sara's worries.

She smiled brightly at him. "Could we really?"

He nodded. Andrew and Lily agreed with him. "Lindsey's our friend too. We all gotta stick together and look out for each other," Andrew said.

"Thanks you guys," Sara said.

---

Sara led the group to the front door of Lindsey's apartment. She rapped her fist on the door, knocking loud enough for her friend to hear, if she could hear.

"What if she's passed out or something inside?" Andrew asked with worry as they waited a couple of minutes with no response.

"Then we'll break down the door if needed," Lily said.

Sara agreed. "I would rather argue with her over a broken door than not know for sure if she's all right." She knocked once again.

"Let's hope that's not the case," Michael said.

A couple of more minutes of waiting passed, and Sara was ready to ask Michael and Andrew to break down the door, when suddenly, the door opened. But much to everyone's surprise, it was not Lindsey who answered, but a dirty blonde haired man. A man that both Sara and Michael recognized.

Sara's eyes became as wide as saucers at the sight of her step-brother, dressed in rumpled clothing and with his hair a bit tousled. "Vincent?!"

"Sara?!" he said with the same amount of surprise.

"What are you doing here?" they both asked at the same time.

Sara's jaw dropped to the floor as she put two and two together. Lindsey's novelist boyfriend from New York… Vincent visiting a woman in Chicago… it all fit together. All the commotion at her front door caused Lindsey to come out into the hallway. She was dressed in a T-shirt and a pair of shorts, her hair all rumpled and unkempt, as if she just got out of bed. Apparently Sara's worries that Lindsey might not be all right were unnecessary as Lindsey was better than all right.

"Vincent, what's going on?" she asked as she came forward, but then she saw everyone. "Sara, guys, what are you doing here?"

Unable to speak, Sara could only stare blankly from her brother to her best friend. Vincent looked from her to his girlfriend.

"Wait, you know her?" he asked Lindsey.

She nodded. "She's my best friend. How do you know her?" Lindsey asked back, confusion crossing her face.

"She's my little sister."

Lindsey's jaw dropped as far as Sara's did, and also like her, she was at a loss for words. Andrew would be the one to break the silence amongst the group gathered in Lindsey's hallway.

"Well," he remarked, "this is a little awkward." He glanced at Lily and then motioned to the door. "Uh, maybe we should go," he suggested, feeling uncomfortable at the moment.

Lily felt the same way as her boyfriend. "Yeah, it's about time we got back to the office." She turned to Michael. "You coming?"

Michael shook his head. "I'm going to stay here a bit," he said, wanting to stand by Sara's side in this tremendous moment of surprise.

"Okay," Lily said and hooked her arm with Andrew's. "We'll see you later. Bye everyone." And with that they left.

"I had no idea," Lindsey finally said, finding her voice once again. She turned to face Vincent and shoved a finger into his chest, poking him repeatedly. "Why didn't you tell me Sara was your sister?"

"Step-sister," he corrected, grabbing a hold of her finger to cease its poking. He then gently gripped her hand in his. "And how was I supposed to know that the two of you were friends, let alone knew each other?"

"Well, you knew that I was a doctor here. You could have taken a minute to ask 'I have a sister that's also a doctor in Chicago, do you know her?' "

Vincent smiled a bit sheepishly. "It never really crossed my mind," he told her and then gave her a look that said that he had other things on his mind when they were together.

Lindsey blushed under his caressing gaze and then playfully shoved him down the hall to her room. "Go get dressed!"

Vincent chuckled and looked over his shoulder at his sister and Michael. "It was nice seeing you again, Michael! Bye sis!"

"Go!" Lindsey shouted, giving him one more shove while he kept laughing. She turned back to the couple standing in the hall, a red hue of embarrassment covering her face. "I'm really sorry."

"It's okay," Michael said, remembering that he and Sara had a similar experience just yesterday morning.

"So why are you guys here?" Lindsey asked them.

"You didn't come in to work and you didn't call in," Sara explained. "I was concerned."

Lindsey smiled at her friend. "Thanks, but I'm all right." Her face then sobered. "Was Dr. Reilly mad?"

"You have clinic duty all next week."

"Damn," Lindsey cursed, absolutely detesting clinic duty. She looked down the hallway to her room and then smiled, letting out a sigh. "Oh well." She turned back to Michael and Sara. "Listen, how about we all meet up for dinner later? We can talk then. Right now I think the two of you should be getting back to work."

Sara nodded. "All right. You want me to make up an excuse for you?"

"If it wouldn't be much trouble," Lindsey said, hugging her friend goodbye.

The three of them said their goodbyes and Michael and Sara were out the door. Michael stuck his hands in his pockets as the two of them walked. "Well," he began, "that was a little…"

"Awkward?" Sara said, finishing his sentence.

Michael smiled and nodded. "Who would have thought that your step-brother was dating Lindsey?"

Sara sighed, letting it all sink in. "It's a small world we're living in I guess."

Michael then slipped an arm around her and pulled her close as the two of them kept walking.

---

"Sara, Michael, over here!" Lindsey called out to them as they entered the restaurant later that night.

The couple spotted her and Vincent already sitting at a table. "Sorry to keep you guys waiting," Sara said as Michael sat her in her chair before seating himself.

"We weren't waiting that long," Vincent said.

The waiter then came by, took their orders, and then promptly left. Vincent then turned to the couple sitting across from him and Lindsey. "Who would have thought I would be double dating with my sister?" he said with a light smile.

"It is a little strange," Sara said, agreeing.

"Yeah," Lindsey also agreed. She then thought of something. "How come the two of you have different last names?"

"I kept my dad's last name when my mom married her dad," Vincent explained.

"I see," Lindsey said. "Now if your last name was Tancredi, then I would have asked you if you were related to Sara and we could have avoided a scene like what happened this afternoon."

Vincent lightly laughed. "Don't worry, honey, we aren't the only ones who have been caught in scenes like this afternoon lately," he said eyeing Michael and Sara. Both of them looked down, embarrassed.

Lindsey raised a curious eyebrow at them. "Oh really?"

Michael cleared his throat and craftily changed the subject. "So how did you guys meet?"

Lindsey smiled, a chuckle threatening to leave her lips. "My mom is his editor in New York. She invited him over for dinner when I visited and we met then."

"I knew from the start that her mother was trying to set us up together," Vincent said. "She's a lot like my mom in that way."

Sara laughed at that, remembering how Eileen Tancredi kept introducing her to bachelors the night she first met Michael. Soon, their food was brought to them and the four began to eat while still conversing.

"Excuse me," Lindsey said suddenly, "I need to go to the Ladies' Room." She looked over to Sara. "Sara, will you come with me?" Sara nodded and followed her.

Vincent looked over at Michael. "Girl talk." Michael nodded in understanding.

A silence occurred between them before Vincent spoke up once more. "I asked Lindsey what she thought about you."

Michael looked at him, wondering what Sara's best friend had to say about him.

"Looks like you got another person on the 'Michael's a good guy' truck," Vincent told him with a smile. "I'm glad to see that my little sister is happy with you."

"I am too," Michael replied.

---

"It's not still weird, is it?" Lindsey asked Sara in the restroom.

Sara shook her head. "No, I can see why the two of you would be attracted to each other. You guys fit well together," she said leaning against the counter.

"Yeah, considering that we seldom have the chance to be together," Lindsey said. She then took a deep breath. "What would you think if I moved back to New York?"

Sara blinked. "You're moving back to New York?"

"No," Lindsey said, "at least not yet."

"It's kind of rash to just get up and move for a guy, don't you think?"

"He's not just a guy, Sara, he's your brother," Lindsey pointed out. "And he's not the only reason why I've been thinking about moving back there lately."

Sara looked at her friend carefully, wondering what else she had to say.

"To be honest, lately I've been feeling like that extra wheel that isn't needed," Lindsey told her. "I hang out with you, Michael, Andrew, and Lily, and all of you are paired off with each other. And I'm left kind of by myself."

"Lindsey, I never meant for you to feel that way," Sara said.

"I know," she told her, giving her a smile. "It's just watching you guys all coupled together makes me feel a bit lonely, you know? And Vincent makes that loneliness go away."

Sara nodded in understanding. She stepped up to her friend and wrapped her arms around Lindsey in a hug. "I understand."

Lindsey smiled at her. "So you wouldn't mind if I moved one day?"

"No," Sara said, "just promise me that you'll be okay and that you'll stay in touch."

Lindsey hugged her again. "Of course. New York isn't that far away and a phone call makes the distance shorter."

---

After dinner, the two couples decided to talk a walk through the park, stopping at a park bench.

Vincent turned to Lindsey and Michael and said, "You guys wouldn't mind if I take my sister off to the side to talk for a minute, would you?"

Michael shook his head while Lindsey said, "Not at all."

Vincent smiled at them and he and Sara walked away a few feet out of ear shot to talk. Michael stuck his hands in his pockets while Lindsey watched as Vincent and Sara talked.

"Hey Michael?"

Michael looked over at her. "Yes?"

She looked back at him. "Can I ask a favor of you?"

"What is it?"

Lindsey looked down at her feet. "I'm gonna be moving back to New York one day in the future," she told him. She then looked back up. "When that happens, will you look after Sara for me?"

Michael stared at her and for the first time realized how strong the friendship between Sara and Lindsey really was. The level of loyalty between them was amazing. He smiled at her and said, "Of course I will."

Lindsey smiled back and reached up to hug him. "Thanks." He hugged her back until they heard someone shouting at them.

"Hey!"

Both Lindsey and Michael turned to see Vincent walking back over to them with Sara behind him, shaking her head but also smiling.

"Stop hugging my woman, Michael," he told him, "and hug your own woman!"

Everyone laughed. Michael smiled and did as Vincent advised him, pulling Sara into his arms.


	18. No Distance Too Far

**Story:** In Another Life  
**Author:** Liayso  
**Chapter 18:** No Distance Too Far

---

_Beep Beep Beep_

Michael groaned, turning underneath his bedcovers. It was the middle of the night, and he wasn't exactly happy to be woken up at such an ungodly hour. Sara stirred next to him and slowly sat up in bed, reaching for her pager on his bedside end table. That little device had become the bane of Michael's existence the past couple of weeks that he and Sara have been dating each other. It seemed as if the damn thing went off every other time he was with Sara, tearing her away from him. It didn't help that both of their jobs kept them quite busy, meaning that they didn't get to spend time with each other a lot in the first place. More so in Sara's case since she was a doctor, which was a very demanding job.

Sara glanced down at her pager and sighed. She turned to Michael with an apologetic look. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," he told her.

She gave him a faint smile and kissed him softly before getting out of his bed. Michael sat up and watched her as she walked across the room towards a chair where her pants and blouse were draped on. She pulled her pants on and slipped off the cotton T-Shirt she had borrowed from Michael for pajamas, replacing it with her blouse.

Michael glanced at his clock and saw that it was technically, the next day. "So," he began, "is there a chance that I'll be able to see you at all later today?"

"It depends on what happens at the hospital," Sara told him. She then strode back to him and grasped his chin with her fingertips. Kissing him 'goodbye,' Sara said one more "Sorry," before leaving.

Michael sighed and fell back onto his bed, unable to go back to sleep without Sara in his arms.

---

Sara stifled a yawn with her hand as she sat at the bedside of one her patients later that morning. The patient was a sweet shy twelve year old girl who was in need of a heart transplant. Her name was Jamie.

"You look tired," Jamie remarked when she saw Sara yawn.

Sara gave her a smile. "I've been up since four in the morning," she said as she wrote down Jamie's condition in her file. "I need another cup of coffee."

Jamie let out a small giggle. "I'm sorry if I'm boring you and making you sleepy," she told Sara.

Sara laughed and smiled. "I could never be bored with you!" Sara told her, patting the girl's shoulder in a friendly manner.

Over the course of Jamie's stay at the hospital, Sara had become quite fond of the girl. It surprised Sara that Jamie needed a heart transplant because it seemed like the girl had one of the biggest and kindest hearts out there.

"Do you think my Dad will visit me today?" Jamie asked.

Sara sympathized with the girl. Like Sara, Jamie's mother died when she was younger, but unlike Sara, she did not have siblings or a stepmother to fill in the gap her working father was supposed to fill. Jamie's father was always busy, rarely having the time to come visit his daughter during the day, so Sara came in and sat with her whenever she could, thus resulting in the friendship the two had with each other.

Sara looked away from the girl. "I don't know," she said, not wanting to tell her the harsh truth, seeing as how it was unlikely that her father would come in. Sara looked back at her and smiled. "But he just might surprise you today."

Jamie smiled back, appreciating Sara's efforts. "He just might," she said, sounding hopeful.

_Knock Knock_

Sara turned her head to the door and saw Lindsey in her white lab coat peek her head in. "Hey, what's up?" Sara asked.

"One of the nurses wanted me to tell you Michael's on the phone in your office," Lindsey told her.

"Okay," Sara said. "Thanks for telling me, Lindsey."

Lindsey nodded and then disappeared from the doorway while Sara turned back to Jamie. "Sorry, I have to go for a bit."

"It's okay," Jamie told her. "You'll be back later?" she asked with hopeful eyes.

"Of course," Sara said with a reassuring smile.

As Sara stepped out of the room, shutting the door behind her, she found Lindsey waiting just outside.

"I thought I'd walk with you to avoid having to go back to clinic duty right away," Lindsey said.

Sara laughed as the two of them began walking down the hall. "How is clinic duty?"

"A freaking nightmare!" Lindsey exclaimed, letting out an exasperated breath. "Half the people are in there for colds and the other half are there for STD testing." She let out an annoyed grunt. "It's taking all my strength and will to keep from shouting, 'Take some cough syrup and eat soup!' to the cold people, and 'Use protection!' to the STD people!"

Sara laughed again. "I guess I'm lucky to have deal with wonderful patients like Jamie."

"Yeah," Lindsey said. She then paused and bit her bottom lip. "Actually, I've been meaning to talk to you about Jamie."

Sara frowned. "What is it?"

"Well," Lindsey began, "Dr. Reilly's a bit concerned."

"About what?"

"That you're getting too close and attached to your patient. She's afraid your personal feelings will get in the way come surgery time. She might take you off the case."

"What?"

Lindsey just shrugged. "It's what she told me, Sweetheart." The two of them finally reached their office, going inside. "And I hate to say it, but I agree with her on this one."

"Just because I like the patient doesn't mean that my skills have become impaired," Sara said with growing indignation. She began stomping back to the office door, towards the hallway. "I'm going to talk to Dr. Reilly about this."

"Ahem," Lindsey coughed. When Sara turned back to her, Lindsey just pointed to the blinking phone on Sara's desk, reminding her of Michael, who was waiting for her to pick up.

"Oh," Sara said lamely. She strode back over to her desk and was about to pick up the phone when Lindsey opened her mouth again.

"I feel sorry for Michael," she said.

Sara sharply looked up at her. "Why do you say that?"

"It's obvious that you're not paying much attention to him."

Sara's mouth dropped open. "What do you mean?"

"Oh come on Sara!" Lindsey said. "Every time you have to leave the man looks like a sad little puppy with a ball in its mouth, wanting to play catch with its owner, but the owner is always too busy."

"That is ridiculous," Sara said, crossing her arms.

"What is ridiculous is that you spend more time with your patients than you do with your boyfriend," Lindsey said, crossing her arms as well.

"It's not my fault my job keeps me busy," Sara told her. "And I spend more time with Michael than you do with Vincent."

"That's because Vincent lives in a whole different state," Lindsey shot back. "What's your excuse?"

Sara scowled at her friend. "Don't you have clinic duty to get back to?" she asked so that her friend would take the hint and leave her alone.

Lindsey rolled her eyes and threw up her hands, letting out an annoyed grunt. She walked out of the office and into the hallway, leaving Sara alone.

Sara let out a long breath of annoyance. The blinking light of the phone on her desk got her attention once again. Michael was still on the other line, waiting for her to answer. She took in a couple of breaths, trying to calm her angry nerves. Hearing that Dr. Reilly might take her off Jamie's case and having Lindsey tell her that she has been neglecting Michael put Sara in a bad mood. And she didn't want to take things out on him when he wasn't at fault.

She finally picked up the phone. "Michael?"

"Hey," Michael said on the other line, "I just wanted to see how you were doing today."

Sara smiled into the receiver. "I'm fine."

"You sure?" Michael asked, picking up on the tired inflection in her voice.

"Yeah," Sara said. "It's just been a little stressful this morning."

"Maybe you should take a few days off," Michael suggested. "And I could ask for some days off as well and we could do something." He paused. "Just the two of us."

Sara winced with guilt. She knew he was saying this because they haven't spent enough quality time together lately, exactly like Lindsey said. And after thinking about it, Sara couldn't help but think that she was right. And truthfully, she really did miss Michael.

"I'll ask my boss about it later," Sara told him. She sighed. "I have a lot of things to do."

"Will I see you at lunch later?" he asked, his voice sounding hopeful.

Sara's face twisted with even more guilt, and she was glad that they were talking on the phone and not face to face. "Probably not."

"Oh," Michael said, sounding disappointed. "How about later tonight?"

"Yeah," Sara said. "Yeah, I'll come over after work."

That seemed to make Michael feel better. "Okay," he said a bit more cheerful. "I'll see you later tonight then."

"All right," Sara said into the phone. "Bye."

---

Michael flipped his cell phone shut and then set it on his desk. He let out a long sigh.

"Knock, knock," said a voice in his office doorway.

Michael looked up and saw Lily come in with a file tucked underneath her arm followed by Andrew who was carrying a tube of blueprints. Michael was a little envious of his two friends. They were able to spend time with each other no problem, seeing as they worked together.

"How are the designs coming along?" Lily asked.

Michael looked down at his desk. He was still a bit tired from waking up so early when Sara had to leave and then their conversation on the phone didn't exactly put him in the best of moods to concentrate on his work. "Uh, I'm halfway done."

Andrew raised an eyebrow. "Only halfway?" He set the blueprints down and clicked his tongue. "You're losing your touch, man."

Lily shot her boyfriend an admonishing stare before turning back to Michael. "Something bothering you, Michael?"

Michael shook his head. "It's nothing."

"It's Sara, isn't it?" Andrew asked. Lily elbowed him in the chest. "Ow! What? I'm right aren't I?"

"Well you don't have to say it aloud!" Lily scolded him. The two of them were well aware that Sara had been ditching Michael for work lately.

Michael tried to ignore the both of them and get back to his work, but it was rather difficult with them standing in his office arguing. "Could you guys stop? Please?" he asked.

They stopped their arguing and turned back to him. Lily took on that 'concerned sister' look she always had when she tried to help Michael with his problems. "Have you tried talking to Sara about it?"

"Lily…" Michael said with a slight groan.

"He can't talk to Sara about it," Andrew pointed out, "because then that would make him the woman in their relationship. You know, the clingy one."

Both Michael and Lily were offended by that.

"I'm not clingy," Michael said.

Lily just smacked the backside of her boyfriend's head. He let out another "Ow!"

Michael grunted in frustration and began gathering up his work. "I'm gonna go home and work from there," he announced to them before exiting his office.

---

Sara stopped in front of the door to her boss's office. She took in a deep breath and knocked.

"Come in," came a voice on the other side.

Sara placed her hand on the doorknob and stepped inside, seeing Dr. Reilly sitting at her desk. The older woman looked up from her paperwork and saw Sara.

"Tancredi, just the girl I wanted to see," Reilly said as she motioned to the chair in front of her desk. "What brings you here?"

Sara sat down and folded her hands in her lap. "I heard you were thinking about taking me off of Jamie Smith's case."

"Actually, I just finished thinking and came to a decision about that," Reilly told her.

Sara waited for her boss to continue.

"I'm taking you off the case," Dr. Reilly said in that final tone that not many people would dare oppose.

But Sara wasn't a part of the majority. "What? Why?" Sara cried out in disbelief and opposition.

"Because, Tancredi," Dr. Reilly began, "you care about the patient."

Sara blinked. "I'm sorry, but how does that explain why you're taking me off the case?"

Reilly sighed and leaned back in her chair. "You care too much for the patient."

"Isn't it our job to care about our patients?"

"It's our job to figure out what's wrong with our patients and then fix it," Reilly explained. "Yes, caring about our patients is a part of that, but we are not supposed to care about them to the point where we become attached." She crossed her arms. "And you Tancredi have become too attached."

"I can still help perform the surgery," Sara said.

"I know you can," Reilly agreed full heartedly. "You're one of the most promising doctors I have here. But with all your skill, there is still a chance that the surgery will fail. The operation is a risky one."

"So you're taking me off the case because you don't want to see me fail?"

"No, I'm taking you off the case because I don't want you to get hurt," Reilly said.

Sara stilled at that. She didn't know what her boss meant when she said that.

"Sara," Dr. Reilly began, using her first name to show her that this really was serious. Her features softened. "I'm trying to protect you. You're young and lack the experience to fully detach yourself from the patient." She leaned forward. "It's a hard job, being a doctor. We save lives, but we also lose lives as well. We can't afford to become attached to all of our patients because of the chance that we might not be able to save them. It would be too much for anyone to handle, especially for a person like you."

Sara looked down, taking in what Dr. Reilly was telling her. She was right.

After a moment and without looking up, Sara said, "I understand."

"Good, I'm glad you do," Reilly said. "Now get." And with that, she shooed Sara out of her office.

---

Michael had just finished cooking dinner when Sara knocked on his door later that night. He turned off his stove and saw the steak he had cooked was a little burned on the edge. Michael just shrugged. Brilliant engineer he may be, but he would never proclaim himself a master chef.

He made his way to his front door and let Sara in. Michael gave her a small chaste kiss and she gave him a tired smile. She always looked tired after work. He really hoped her boss would let her take a vacation, maybe even just a day off really.

"I just finished cooking dinner," Michael said

"Great," Sara said, offering him a smile, but Michael sensed something was up.

"Are you all right?" he asked her as they walked to his dinner table.

Sara let out a long sigh. "My boss took me off a case today."

Michael became confused. "Isn't that what we were going for?"

Sara sharply looked up. "Excuse me?"

He didn't know why Sara seemed upset about being taken off a case. It made sense if she were going to take a few days off from work. "I assumed your boss took you off the case because you asked for some time off," Michael explained.

Sara's lips parted as if she wanted to say something but had no idea what to say. Her face then took on a guilty sort of look. She had forgotten that she told him she would ask her boss for a few days off so she certainly forgot to ask. "Michael, I," Sara began, "I didn't ask her. I forgot to."

"Sara…"

"I'm sorry."

Michael let out a sigh of frustration. He then looked straight at her. "It just would be nice, for once, if I could see my girlfriend."

Sara's brows knitted together as she stared back at him. "You do see me."

"Not for longer than ten minutes."

"Michael, don't be ridiculous."

"Well, if wanting to spend time with you is ridiculous, then forgive me," Michael said a little too harshly.

"I'm sorry I forgot," Sara said, a little bit hurt at the tone of voice he was taking with her. "It was just that I had so many things going on and…" She let out a little frustrated sigh of her own. Didn't he understand? "You know how demanding my schedule is, Michael."

"One day, Sara," Michael said. "Is it too much to ask for one day where you're not paged, where you don't run off back to the hospital?"

"I can't promise you that."

Michael groaned loudly in frustration. Sara didn't like how he was acting, how he seemed to be blaming her for something that wasn't in her control. She moved on past feeling guilty and upset. Frankly, she was becoming a little bit angry.

"You're being rather selfish, Michael," she told him

He looked sharply at her and leveled her with a stare. "Selfish?" No one ever accused him of being selfish. It was rather an insult of the highest regard to him.

Sara didn't falter underneath his stare down. Years growing up as the daughter of Frank Tancredi and under the tutelage of Dr. Aurora Reilly taught her not to fear things like that. She nodded.

"You don't understand how important my job is to me," she told him in an accusing and condescending tone.

Michael just tried to stare her down. He wasn't going to back down. That did it for Sara. She practically threw down her fork and knife and stood up from her chair. She began to walk away. Surprised at her actions, Michael clumsily stood up from his seat.

"Where are you going?" he called out as he walked, or rather stalked, after her.

"I'm going home," she told him without looking behind her back at him. "It's obvious I can't talk to you right now."

"Sara!" Michael called after her, but she had already slammed his apartment door behind her back.

---

The next day, it seemed like no one was safe from Michael's bad mood. He did his best not to lash out at anyone, but it was difficult. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how one viewed it, the only two people that he had to work with for more than five minutes were Lily and Andrew.

"Geez man," Andrew said after Michael gruffly grabbed the floor plans of a building from his hands.

"I've never seen you like this before, Michael," Lily said, a little worried. "What happened?"

"It's nothing," Michael said, as he tried to block them out by concentrating on the plans.

Lily moved to ask more, but Andrew held her back. He knew that pressing Michael now would only make him angrier, and he didn't want his friend taking his anger out on his girlfriend because that meant he would have to defend her. It's not that Andrew didn't want to defend Lily if she needed it, he would lay down his life for her, but Michael had almost half a foot over him in height, and even though Michael was never really a physical person, frankly, he was a little scary when he was angry.

"You know 'the Beast' scheduled a group meeting in fifteen minutes, right?" Andrew simply asked.

Michael groaned. Just what he needed, to be trapped in a room full of people for an hour. "About what?"

Andrew shrugged. "I dunno, but he's been on the phone all morning, so it's gotta be big."

Michael just groaned once again.

---

"Dr. Tancredi!"

Sara stopped her walk through the hospital hallway, looked up and then turned around to see Jamie rolling up to her in a wheelchair with a nurse pushing her. She wore a bright happy smile on her face, quite different from the expression that Sara had been wearing all morning.

Her fight with Michael last night had a terrible effect on her. She went to bed last night positively fuming. Then when she woke up, she was still a little angry, but then the guilt began to set in. And it had been growing since then, because after everything, Michael was still right. She really hasn't been spending enough time with him lately and only she was to blame for that.

Sara offered Jamie a smile. "Hi Jamie, how are you?"

"Good," the twelve year old said cheerfully. She showed her the teddy bear in her lap. "Look what my father got for me. He said he would visit me later." Jamie practically beamed with excitement.

"I'm happy for you," Sara said.

Jamie then sobered a little. "Dr. Reilly told me you weren't going to be one of my doctors anymore, how come?"

"Dr. Reilly felt that it would be best for everyone," Sara answered.

"Oh," Jamie said looking down at the teddy bear. "You'll still come visit me, won't you?"

"Of course."

Jamie brightened at that and gave her a little wave as the nurse pushed her down the hallway once again.

Sara let out a long sigh. With Dr. Reilly taking her off Jamie's case, Sara had some extra time on her hands. Truly, the timing was ironic. She sighed again. All morning, she thought about going to Michael and apologizing to him. Sara held herself up and began walking down the hallway. She would go do it now.

---

The meeting room was full of murmurs as Michael stepped in and sat down next to Andrew. Everyone was curious about why the 'Beast,' everyone's nickname for their boss, had called this impromptu meeting. Michael looked to his friends for a clue.

"Any idea?"

They both shook their heads. At that moment their boss walked in, putting an end to all the chattering almost at a chilling instant. The 'Beast' stood tall and powerful at the head of the long meeting room table, staring down at everyone from behind his thick glasses.

"All right," he began, "you're all wondering why I've called you here."

A few people nodded their heads while others looked on with a mixture of fear and eagerness.

"As you all know, we have strong ties with the Middleton, Maxwell & Schaum firm based in Seattle."

It was a well known fact amongst everyone there that the 'Beast's' brother was the head of the firm there. It was also known that the two brothers were close and looked to each other for advice and aid on projects when needed.

"A current project of theirs is going down the drain and fast. They need assistance as soon as possible." The 'Beast' stared at everyone hard. "This is why I told them we would be sending over a team of our people over there in Seattle to aid however they can."

A loud gasp swept across the room as everyone stared back at their boss, taking in this new information. Then in a burst of excitement, questions began to be fired off, one after the other.

"How long will the trip be?"

"How much is it going to pay?"

"Are the flight and lodgings paid for?"

"Who is going?"

Their boss waved off their questions with a sweep of his hand.

"Our time there could last from one week to three. It depends on what happens. As for money, yes, the flight and hotel rooms will be paid for and there will be a big bonus for those that go," he said with an emphasis on 'big.'

Everyone looked to each other with excitement on their faces, all eager for a huge paycheck and a free trip across the country.

"As for who will be going to Seattle," the 'Beast' continued, "that will depend on Scofield."

Michael sharply looked to his boss at that, a bit surprised. "Me sir?"

He nodded. Taking the thick file of papers and information his brother faxed over from its place underneath his arm, he slapped it on the table and slid the file over to Michael.

"I'm putting you in charge of this. Assemble a team and notify me ASAP."

"Yes sir."

"All right," the 'Beast' boomed. "Dismissed!" And with that, he walked out of the room.

The moment that he left, everyone practically jumped on Michael, each of them wanting to be a part of the team.

"Hey! Hey! Hey!" Andrew said, loud and forceful. "Everyone back off! Michael will choose when he's thought it over a bit," he said, pushing back one eager patron. "Annoying him and bribery won't work!"

At that, everyone backed off and began exiting the room, one after the other, mumbling how bad they want to go underneath their breaths. Michael looked to his friend with a grateful smile on his face.

"Thanks Andrew."

Andrew gave him a thumb's up and a grin. "You know I got your back, man." He then moved towards his friend, holding up a hand as if he were to whisper in conspiratorial tone. "You are gonna include me and Lily on the team, right?"

Michael laughed while Lily just smiled and shook her head. "Of course," Michael answered him.

Andrew's grin grew and he wrapped a companionable arm around his shoulders. "Sweet! Thanks!"

"Who else will you take, Michael?" Lily asked him.

"I don't know," he said, looking down at the file in his hands. "I can't believe I'm in charge of this."

"I can," Lily said. "Let us know when you pick the other people for the team."

Michael nodded as she and Andrew left the room. He looked down at the thick file in his hands once again and let out a sigh full of excitement. Being put in charge of something as big as this made him feel good. With that good feeling, he walked back to his office only to find someone there.

"Sara?"

Sara turned around at the sound of his voice and gave him a small, shy, apologetic looking smile.

"I, uh…" Sara began, unsure of what to say due to the discomfort their fight created for them last night. "They said you were in a meeting so I waited in your office."

Michael walked over to his desk and set the file down as he stood in front of her. After her fierce exit from his apartment last night, Michael had not expected Sara to come to his office all humbled. "What is it?" he asked softly.

"I want to apologize about last night," she said. "I'm so sorry for getting angry and storming off like that."

The inflection in her voice and the fact that she was here was enough for Michael to accept her apology and give one of his own.

"I shouldn't have gotten angry either," Michael said, drawing her into his arms. "I'm sorry too. It was just that… I miss you, you know."

"I miss you too," Sara said, wrapping her arms around him.

Michael held her and let out a happy sigh. It felt good to hold her in his harms like this. Very good. After a moment, Sara pulled back slightly and looked up at him with a smile on her face.

"I finally got a few days off," she told him. "We can do something, just the two of us."

Today must be my lucky day, Michael thought. First he was put in charge of a big project with a fat paycheck and now he got back his girlfriend. It couldn't get better.

But then his boss's words echoed in his mind. _"Our time there could last from one week to three."_

Michael stilled as he remembered, and Sara did not miss the abrupt change in his facial features.

"What is it, Michael?" she asked him.

"I, uh…"

"What is it, Michael?" Sara asked again, a bit more sternly.

"The meeting I was in…" Michael began. "We got a new project. In Seattle."

"Seattle?"

"Yeah."

"How long will you be there?"

Michael grimaced slightly, not wanting to tell her because of how she'll react.

"How long, Michael?" Sara said again, more as a command than a question.

"One to three weeks."

"Three weeks!" She pushed away from him.

"Or less," Michael said rather lamely.

Sara glared at him. "Or less?" She let out a dry laugh. "Oh, this is rich. I finally get some time off and you accept a job that's across the country!"

"Sara…" Michael began in a pleading voice, but she interrupted him.

"What happened to that talk about wanting one day?"

"I still want that," he said, trying to reach out to her and pull her into an embrace.

But she jerked away from him. "Your accepting a job in Seattle says otherwise."

"I was put in charge," Michael said. "I can't turn it down.

Sara just glared at him.

"This is my job, Sara," he told her. "This is important. You don't understand."

The moment the words left his mouth, Michael knew it was the wrong thing to say. Especially since she said something similar just the night before. No one liked having their words thrown back at them in their face. He could practically see the annoyance, anger, and resentment building in her face.

"Sara…" Michael began to apologize, but she interrupted him again.

"No," Sara said with a leveled stare. "I hope you have a fun time in Seattle." And with that she walked out of his office.

Michael stood still for a long moment after she left. He then managed to move himself to fall into his chair, his head falling into his hands.

---

When it came time for Michael to leave for Seattle, Sara came to the airport to see him off. He looked happy to see her and tried to kiss her, but she turned her head to the side so he would only kiss her cheek. It was obvious that she was still mad. She mumbled out, "Have a safe flight." Then Michael got on his plane and left.

The days following Michael's departure were some of the worst for Sara. She was still angry, but God did she miss him. She missed seeing him every once and awhile. She missed the sound of his voice. She missed every hug, every kiss, and every touch from him. She missed looking into those perfect green blue eyes of his. She just missed him. And having him so far away made her feel a bit depressed.

It didn't help that Jamie died a few days later, shortly after her surgery.

Sara was devastated.

The look on Jamie's father's face, of utter devastation, sadness, guilt, and regret, was unbearable for Sara to handle. Jamie was all that he had in the world. But the world decided to be cruel and unfair, as it is sometimes. That fact seemed to bring Sara down even farther.

Dr. Reilly placed a maternal hand on her shoulder. "Maybe you should take time off, Sara," she suggested.

Sara shook her head. "No, I want to work." She smiled weakly at her boss. "I need the distraction."

Dr. Reilly took pity on her and allowed Sara to take over the clinic. Lindsey may hate clinic duty but Sara didn't mind it at all. The numerous people that come into the clinic with their illnesses and problems kept her busy and she was grateful for it.

"I don't know how you do it," Lindsey said. "How you can stand these people, I don't know how you do it."

Sara just smiled a half-hearted smile in response. Lindsey frowned. It was hard not to notice Sara's blue mood.

"Hey Sara," Lindsey said as Sara was about to enter the clinic. "You wanna go out and do something sometime?"

Sara looked back at her friend.

"I feel like we should go out and have some fun," Lindsey said. "We've been having such a sucky week."

"_I've_ been having a sucky week," Sara corrected.

"Yeah, but when you have a sucky week my week turns out not so great either. I hate seeing you like this."

Sara put on a small appreciative smile. "All right."

"Great!" Lindsey said. "I'll see you later."

"Okay," Sara said and they waved goodbye.

As Lindsey walked away, the smile on Sara's face faded away. Turning back to the door of the clinic room, Sara let out a loud sigh and turned the knob. Inside waiting was a man probably a few years older than herself. He had dirty blonde hair and a rather cherubic looking face.

"Hello," Sara said as she came into the room. "What seems to be the problem, Mr…?"

"Smith," the man said with a smile. "But you can call me Colin."

"Okay, Mr. Colin Smith," Sara said, giving him a polite smile. "Why are you here?"

Colin glanced at her hospital badge. "Well, Dr. Sara Tancredi, I took a fall down a couple of steps a few days ago. At first nothing hurt so I thought I was okay, but a few days later my leg started hurting."

"Mind if I take a look?"

He gave her a charming smile. "Not at all. It's why I'm here, aren't I?"

Sara let out a small laugh. "I suppose so," she said as she began examining him. "How bad is the pain?"

"Not so bad, actually, but it comes and goes. Sometimes it comes during the night and I can't get to sleep."

"I see," Sara said as she looked at the bruising. "Well, nothing looks broken. I'll prescribe some pain meds for the pain and a small sedative to help with your insomnia." She looked to the patient. "If the pain gets worse, come back in and we'll do an X-Ray."

"All right," Colin said and he watched as she began writing the prescription. Sara noticed his starring.

She looked up from her pad. "Yes?"

Colin shook his head sheepishly. "Nothing, I just thought that hot doctors only existed on TV."

"Excuse me?"

Colin just grinned at her.

Sara gave him an amused smile. "I hate to burst your bubble, Mr. Smith, but I'm already in a relationship."

"Really?" Colin mused. "Must not be that great of a relationship."

Sara looked at him sharply when he said this, silently demanding what he meant by that.

"You came in with the saddest look on your face," he explained. "I only guessed that maybe your boyfriend was responsible."

Sara just looked at him, many emotions playing across her eyes: sadness, embarrassment, annoyance. She then looked down at her prescription pad and promptly tore off the top sheet. "Here."

Colin took the prescription slowly. "Forgive me, I didn't meant to upset you."

"It's all right."

"No," he said, shaking his head. "It should be a crime to put a frown on such a pretty face. I should be put in jail."

Sara kept her eyes averted from him, but a small smile crept onto her face.

"Thank you, Dr. Tancredi," Colin said as he walked to the door. He stopped and then turned to look at her once more. "Hopefully, the next time we meet, you won't be so sad."

Sara looked up and watched his back as he left the room. For some reason, she felt a little bit better.

---

As fate would have it, Sara and Colin would meet again, just a few days after his clinic visit. But fate was rather cruel with the circumstances.

"Tancredi!" Dr. Reilly yelled with urgency as she caught sight of the young doctor in the hallway. She had been rapidly been paging her for the past five minutes.

"What's the emergency," Sara asked as she followed her boss to the ER.

"A man was hit by a car. Hurry and get prepped."

"Has he been identified?" Sara asked.

"Paramedics found his ID. His name's Colin Smith."

Sara gasped. Dr. Reilly looked to her. "You know him?"

"He came into the clinic just a couple of days ago."

At that moment, the older doctor grabbed a hold of Sara's shoulder, stopping her from going into the emergency room.

"You haven't become attached to this guy, have you?" Dr. Reilly asked.

Sara shook her head. "No, I don't know him at all. Believe me, I learned my lesson with Jamie," she said painfully, but then she composed herself. "I can do this completely unattached."

Dr. Reilly stared at her for a quick moment, trying to assess for herself if Sara was able to follow her word. Seeming to trust her, Dr. Reilly hurried Sara into the room. "Come on."

---

The only injuries that Colin sustained were a broken leg and a fractured wrist, but he remained unconscious a day and a half after his operation. Sara had just walked in when he woke up.

"You're awake," she stated.

He groaned. "And in pain."

Sara came up to his bed. "Here, let me help," she said as she upped his morphine level.

Colin let out a relieved sigh. "Ah, that's much better." He gave her a bright thankful smile. "You're a saint."

Sara slightly smiled at that. "Not exactly how you expected to be back here, is it?"

"No, not exactly," he said. "But I did expect to be back."

Sara couldn't believe that he was flirting with her when he was an invalid in a hospital bed. But nonetheless she was amused…and a little flattered.

"I already told you," she said. "I'm taken."

"I know," he said with a slight grin.

"My boyfriend's tall, about six foot two," Sara told him. She thought for a split second before adding, "And he can get quite jealous."

"He wouldn't hit a crippled man, now would he?" Colin said, jokingly, not believing her.

Sara let out a small chuckle. She tried picturing Michael beating up a cripple. It didn't seem possible. "No, but he's a good man, and I l—" she stopped herself and continued checking his condition.

"I see," Colin said. "So what's the problem?"

Sara took a step back. "This is clearly crossing the doctor/patient line," she said sternly, not wanting to get into her personal life.

"Sorry," he said and then changed the subject for her. "So when do I have to leave this place?"

"Probably in a few days," Sara informed him. "Your injuries aren't so bad."

"The pain and the big fat cast on my leg say otherwise," Colin told her with a slight wince. "Can you up the morphine just a little bit more?"

"Sure," Sara said and did just that.

"Thanks."

At that moment, a nurse came into the room. "Oh, excuse me," she said. "It's time for Mr. Smith's medication."

"Don't mind me," Sara told the nurse. "I'm about done anyway."

The nurse nodded and approached Colin with his medication. Sara gave him a small smile.

"I'll check on you tomorrow," she told him.

"I await your visit, Doctor," Colin said as he kept a rather longing looking gaze on Sara's form as she left.

---

During Colin's stay at the hospital, he and Sara seemed to have struck up a friendship of sorts. Sara knew it was wrong, professionally, especially with what happened with Jamie, but it was highly unlikely that he would perish from a broken leg, so she thought it would be okay.

He kept up his flirting each day, smiling a charming smile, making her laugh. Sara kept telling him that he should give up, that nothing would happen, but a small part of her enjoyed his flirtation. Yet despite her enjoyment, Sara wished that it was Michael teasing her with flirtatious words, that he was the one smiling at her. She missed him. She missed him so much.

"Doctor?" Colin called out to her.

Sara snapped out of her reverie and shook her head slightly. "Sorry."

"You kind of spaced out there for a moment," he said. "What were you thinking of?"

Sara flushed and shook her head. "Nothing."

"Ah, I see," Colin mused. He then slightly grinned. "Your boyfriend?" When Sara gave him a stare, he laughed. "I can tell by your sighs of longing."

"I do not have sigh of longings," Sara protested. Colin just laughed again. Sara gave him an annoyed look. "When are you being discharged again?"

"This afternoon."

"That's not soon enough."

Colin laughed once more and placed a dramatic hand over his heart. "Doctor, you wound me! I may have to stay a little longer for my broken heart."

Sara chuckled. "The hospital doesn't treat broken hearts."

Laughing, Colin stood up from his bed on his crutches. "It should, so I can stay longer. I rather enjoyed my stay here. The baths from the nurses," he said lightly and then motioned to the morphine drip, "my good pain killing friend Mr. Morphine." He then turned to Sara. "And you Doctor, I will miss the most."

"You know, I really wish you wouldn't be so persistent," Sara said.

He gave her a smile. "I like you Dr. Sara Tancredi, you're a loyal person. And I know you like me too, admit it. If you didn't have a boyfriend, you would go out with me."

Sara couldn't help but think that maybe he was right. If she had never met Michael before meeting Colin, she probably would. But she decided not to say anything responding to that and just smiled. "I wish you well, Colin." And with that she left.

---

That night, after a long day at the hospital, Sara was surprised with a long distance phone call.

"Hello?"

"Sara, hey, it's me," Michael said on the other line all the way in the Seattle. "How have you been?"

"Michael!" Sara said, beginning to smile. "I've, I've been fine. How are things for you in Seattle?

"Fine, we managed to help the firm here get back on their feet," he said, taking a short pause. "You're not still mad at me," he said more as a question.

"No," Sara told him, sitting down on her sofa. "Now that I think about it, our argument was a little silly." She tucked her legs up onto her couch. "I miss you."

"I miss you too."

"When are you coming back?" she asked.

"They want us to stay the full three weeks."

Sara's shoulders sagged in disappointment. "Oh."

"At least we're halfway there," Michael pointed out since a week and half had already passed.

"Yeah."

Sara then heard voices in the background. One of them was definitely female.

"Stop bothering him! He's on the phone!"

A male voice was then heard. "Tell her we say 'Hi!' man!"

Sara heard Michael chuckle, a sound she missed hearing. "Lily and Andrew say 'Hi'."

"I heard them," Sara said with a smile. "Tell them I say 'Hi' too."

She then heard Michael do just that before getting back to her. "So, you want me to bring you back a souvenir?" he asked her.

"All I want is you," Sara told him softly.

There was a slight pause on the other line. Sara wondered what the look on Michael's face was when she said that, as she heard Andrew in the background saying, "You look kind of funny. What'd she say, man? What'd she say?" Then she heard Lily squeal and say, "Aw! Did she say—?"

"Can you guys please leave?" Michael asked them and Sara laughed. She then heard the sound of a door shutting. "Sorry about that," he said.

"It's all right."

"Look, I have to go now," Michael said. "I'll call you another time."

"You better," she told him and that made him smile. "Bye."

"Bye."

That night Sara went to bed and had the best sleep she got in the past ten days.

---

The next morning, Sara ran into Colin at the pharmacy counter.

"Colin, what are you doing back here?" she asked him.

"I was missing some of my medication," he told her.

Sara shot a look at the person behind the pharmacy counter. The young woman, who was new to the job, looked down, sheepishly and embarrassed. "Sorry."

Sara turned back to Colin and she glanced at his crutches and his cast. "How's your leg?"

"Healing nicely."

She smiled. "That's good."

Colin grinned at her and looked at her carefully. "You seem to be in a good mood. Now I know you're not happy to see me out of the hospital, are you?" he teased.

Sara laughed. "It's not that," she told him.

"Here's your medication, sir," the pharmacist said meekly as she held out a small bag.

Colin reached for it. Sara caught a good look at his arm. His sleeves were rolled up and she saw strange streaked lines along his arm.

"What happened to your arm?" Sara asked.

Colin glanced at his arm and then quickly rolled down his sleeves. "It's nothing," he said quickly.

"Are you sure?" Sara said, getting a little concern. "Do you want me to take a look at it?"

"No, it's fine," Colin said jerkily, his teasing flirtatious demeanor disappearing in an instant. "I have to go." And he walked off.

Sara blinked after him as he stalked away on his crutches, a bad feeling nagging at her.

---

"What's bothering you?" Lindsey asked Sara, later that day.

"It's nothing," Sara said as she looked through Colin's file.

"You sure?" Lindsey asked.

"Yeah."

"Okay then," Lindsey said as she plopped down in her chair. "I got us some movie tickets for tonight."

But Sara was too busy looking at Colin's file to respond, the bad feeling she got earlier becoming worse as time went by.

"Sara?" Lindsey waved a hand in her face, trying to get her attention.

"Sorry, I don't think I can go."

Lindsey frowned. "What? Why?"

"There's something I need to check out," Sara told her, hoping her suspicions were incorrect.

---

Using the address from Colin's file, Sara went to his apartment later after work. She was worried about him. She knew what the streaks on his arm suggested, but she couldn't believe it. But then she thought about the many times Colin had asked for his morphine to be increased and it made her worry more.

Standing at his door, Sara took a deep breath and rapped her fist on it. She waited a couple minutes, but there was nothing. She knocked again. She waited a couple more minutes before the door open, revealing a strung out looking Colin.

"What?" he asked.

Sara gasped at his appearance. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," he told her and walked back into his apartment, trying to close his door behind him, but Sara caught it and followed him inside.

She then saw his coffee table littered with drugs and needles. "Oh my God," she said as she took in the sight, her mouth hanging open with disbelief.

"Welcome to my little party, Sara," Colin said with a slur in his voice.

"What are you doing?" Sara asked him.

"What does it look like?" he told her. "I'm having a little fun."

"By using drugs?" Sara cried out.

"Why not? The world sucks, Sara," Colin told her. "The drugs help to make it suck a little less."

"You need help, Colin."

He shook his head with a laugh. "No, I have all I need." He then stared at her as intensely as a man who was high could. Stepping towards her, he let go of his crutches and backed Sara up against a wall.

"Ever since I first saw you, there was a little bit of sadness in you," Colin whispered to her. "Let me make the bad stuff go away." He then covered her mouth with his.

Sara's eyes flew wide open and she shoved at Colin's chest hard, making him stagger back a couple of feet. She stared at him, a mixture of fear and outrage on her face. She didn't know what to do, so she did the first thing that came to her mind.

She ran.

---

The next day, Sara was still a little shaken from what happened the night before. Lindsey picked up on it as they walked down the hospital hallways.

"You all right?" she asked her friend.

"I really don't want to talk about it, Lindsey," Sara said tiredly.

They continued to walk down the hall. As they turned a corner, they saw two men wheeling a black body bag on a stretcher, heading to the morgue.

"The poor bastard must have OD'ed last night," one man said. "He was dead when the ambulance got there."

"We got an ID on him?" the other man asked.

The first man nodded. "Yeah, his name's Smith, Colin Smith."

Sara stopped in her tracks when she heard that. The two men passed by them, but Sara turned around and hurried after them.

"Sara!" Lindsey called after her and followed her.

"Excuse me," Sara asked the two men. "Did you say Colin Smith?"

One of the men nodded. "Yeah. Why, did you know the guy?"

Sara nodded. She glanced down at the body bag. "Can I…?"

The two men glanced at each other. "Maybe that isn't a good idea," one said.

"Please," Sara pleaded.

The two looked at each other again. One let out a sigh and then moved to unzip the bag a little bit to reveal the corpse's face. It was indeed Colin.

"Oh my God," Sara gasped and stepped back.

The men zipped up the bag again. They looked at Sara with sympathy. "We're sorry," they said before continuing their trip to the morgue.

Lindsey stepped up beside Sara as she watched them wheel Colin's body away with dazed eyes. "Are you all right," Lindsey asked, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"I saw him last night… I suspected that he was a junkie, so I went to his place to find out for sure…" Sara told her. "I was right…Oh my God…I should have helped him…"

"Sara, what happened?" Lindsey asked, a worried frown marring her forehead.

"It's my fault…" Sara whispered and she began to walk away.

Lindsey watched as her friend walked away, looking as if something broke inside her. She felt that any attempts from her to reach her would be met with failure, but she knew one person the might be able to succeed.

---

Sara spent the day performing her tasks and duties mechanically. Colin's death was a harsh blow, and she kept thinking that she could have done something to save him. Throughout the day, she wondered how all the other doctors dealt with all the pain and suffering and death they witness in their career. She wasn't sure she could handle it. As night drew near and her shift came to an end, Sara made her way to the hospital stairwell. No one ever used it, so it was really quiet. It was her place to wallow.

Sara sat down on the steps and leaned the side of her head against the metal railing of the stairs. She shut her eyes as she tried to shut out everything, all of the horrible things and feelings that came to her. She didn't even notice or hear when someone came into the stairwell and sat down next to her, until he touched her.

Sara turned her head and was shocked to see the person next to her. "Michael?"

He gave her a light smile. "Hey."

She looked at him with disbelief. "What are you doing here? Why aren't you in Seattle?"

"Lindsey called me up this morning and told me you were having a rough time," Michael said as he looked at her with concern. "So I got on the next flight out to Chicago to see you."

"You could have just called," Sara told him.

"Yeah, but then you would have just played it down, which wouldn't help," Michael told her. Sara looked down at her knees because he was exactly right. "Plus," Michael added, "I wanted to see you."

Sara looked back at him and she felt a rush of emotion swell up inside of her as she stared into his eyes. "But what about your job?" she asked him.

"They'll be fine without me for a day."

"That was a long way to travel just to see me."

Michael reached with his hand and tucked a bit of her hair behind her ear, one of the many things she missed while he was gone. "No distance is too far for me to get to you, Sara."

Sara smiled at him and took comfort in his touch.

"You want to tell me about what has you upset?" Michael asked.

Sara stared at him. The features on his face told her that he would do anything he could to help her, even if it was just listening. She glanced down at her feet and let out a sigh. Suddenly she felt her hand being taken into his hand and she looked back up at Michael. He gave her an encouraging smile.

Sara smiled back and began to tell him about everything, about Jamie and about Colin and all that happened. Michael listened attentively, understanding how she felt. He held her and comforted her.

Sara took solace in his arms and she remembered Colin's words that 'the world sucks.' Most of the time he was right in saying that. Colin made the world suck less by using drugs. For Sara, the world didn't suck at all when she was with Michael. He eclipsed all the bad things she had to witness as a doctor and he made her feel like she could continue on doing what she loved, trying to help and heal people.

It was then, at that moment, that Sara realized how much she loved this man. This man who traveled thousands of miles just to see if she was all right. This man who held her and whispered comforting words into her ear.

She loved him.

---

"You must be exhausted," Sara said as they entered her bedroom.

After Sara finished telling Michael her story, he took her home back to her apartment.

Michael stifled a yawn. "Just a little bit."

Sara smiled and gently pushed him towards her bed. "Come on."

Michael climbed into her bed and slipped underneath her bed sheets. Sara climbed in after him. He wrapped an arm around her and let out another yawn. Sara snuggled against his side, her hand resting on his tummy.

"Goodnight Sara," Michael said, sleepily.

"Goodnight Michael," Sara returned.

For a moment, Sara laid in bed, curled up against Michael's side. She then spoke in a quiet tone.

"I love you, Michael."

It was the first time she said those three words to him. She wondered how he would react. There was nothing but silence. Sara tilted her head up just an inch and saw that Michael's eyes were shut. He was sleeping soundlessly. Sara smiled at that. She moved her head back into a comfortable position and said it one more time.

"I love you."

---


	19. Those Three Special Words

--

**In Another Life**

Chapter 19 - "Those Three Special Words"

--

_Eleven year old Michael Scofield sat on the city bus with his friend, Veronica, as the bus driver drove down the street. He sat in silence looking out the window at the various cars and people on the street and sidewalks. Soon enough the bus reached their stop and the two of them got off. They were at the hospital._

_Veronica walked with Michael into the building, up to the front desk. A nurse that was there talking to the receptionist recognized the young boy and gave him a smile._

"_Hi Michael," the nurse said to him. "Have you come to visit your mom?"_

_Michael nodded and then looked to Veronica._

_She looked back at him. "Will you be all right now?" she asked him._

_Michael nodded._

"_Okay," Veronica said. "I'm gonna head home now. Lincoln said he'll come straight over here after he gets out of detention, okay?"_

"_I know," Michael said. "Thanks for bringing me here, Vee."_

"_I'll see ya tomorrow!" Veronica said with a wave before she left._

_Michael then turned back to the nurse. "Come on," she said. "Let's go visit your mom." And the two of them walked together down the fluorescent lit hallways of the hospital._

"_How is she?" Michael asked the nurse._

"_As fine as someone in her condition can be," the nurse said truthfully._

_Michael nodded appreciatively. He liked this nurse because she didn't lie to him in order to make him feel better about his mother's illness. She knew that he was far from being stupid or naïve._

"_She'll be happy to see you," the nurse chatted. "She always is." She offered him a smile. "She's always going on about you and your brother, you know."_

_Michael gave the nurse a shy smile, wondering at what embarrassing stories his mom had been telling the nurses about him and Lincoln._

"_All right," the nurse said as they came up to a door. "Here we are." _

_They stepped into the room and found Christina Scofield sitting up in bed reading a book. She smiled at the sight of her son._

"_Michael," Christina said as she shut her book. She held out her hand and motioned him to come to her._

_Michael walked up to the bed and then climbed into it, next to her. His little hand sought her pale one and held it. "Hi Mom."_

_Christina wrapped an arm around him and pulled him into a hug. "Hi."_

_The nurse watched the tender moment between mother and son with warmth in her smile and tiny tears in her eyes. "I'll be coming back a little later to check on you, Christina," she told Christina._

_Christina nodded. "Okay, thank you."_

_The nurse gave them a comforting smile and waved before turning to go back down the hall._

_Christina looked down at her son and raised a hand to smooth his slightly messed up hair. "Where's your brother?"_

"_He got detention," Michael told her. "Veronica brought me here."_

"_Veronica's such a nice girl," his mother said. "I hope you said 'thank you' to her."_

_Michael nodded. "I did."_

"_Good," Christina said, glad that her lessons of good manners was instilled into at least one of her sons. "So what did Lincoln do this time?" she asked with a sigh._

"_Veronica said he talked back to the teacher."_

_Christina shook her head. "I'll talk to him when he gets here."_

"_What were you reading?" Michael asked as he picked up the small paperback book his mother had been reading when he came. _

"_A romance novel one of the nurses gave me," she told him. "I just got to the part where the hero tells the heroine that he loves her."_

"_Oh, that's nice," Michael said as he put the book back down._

_His mother let out a long sigh. She wrapped her arms around her son even tighter and rested her chin upon the top of his head. "Michael, you know I love you right?"_

_Michael nodded. "I love you too, Mom."_

_Christina smiled and kissed the top of his head. _

"_I will always love you," she whispered. "Even after I'm gone, I will always love you and your brother. Remember that."_

_Michael nodded again and buried his face into his mother's shoulder, small tears welling up in the corners of his eyes._

"_I love you."_

--

Michael slowly blinked his eyes open as he woke up. Sara still slept soundlessly next to him. Michael smiled. This is what he longed for the past two weeks he was at Seattle, Sara sleeping at his side, her warmth, the sound of her peaceful breathing…everything about her.

When Lindsey had called him up and told him that Sara needed him, Michael was on the next plane back to Chicago the very next minute. When he found her in the hospital stairwell, so sad and broken, he wanted to take her in his arms, do anything and everything to make her pain go away. The intensity of his feelings startled Michael. It was both frightening and wonderful.

He moved onto his side to watch her and then brushed a stray lock of her hair away from her face. Sara slightly stirred at his touch, but her eyes remained shut and she snuggled closer to his body. Michael smiled again.

"_I love you, Michael."_

Michael stilled as he remembered Sara's quiet words to him last night. Exhausted as he was from working a long day in Seattle and jet lag from his plane ride back to Chicago, he still did not fall asleep right away when he climbed into her bed. He had heard Sara when she spoke those three special words to him.

"_I love you."_

He at first thought he was asleep and dreaming all of it, but then she went and said it again. Sara loved him. She loved him. It filled him with such warmth and happiness that he never imagined could be possible for him. Michael wondered what he did to deserve it all, to deserve her and her affection.

His hand stole underneath the blankets and found a strip of bare skin that was revealed from when Sara's shirt shifted up in her sleep. Michael loved the feel of her warm skin and he wanted a bit more of it, slipping his fingers underneath the fabric, stroking, caressing her stomach with light touches. Sara let out little mewls of pleasure, but she remained in the state that was not so much slumbering but also not fully awake either.

Michael sat up in bed, pushing the blankets down to the edge of the bed. Sara startled at the loss of warmth, but it was soon returned when Michael moved his body over hers. His hands pushed her shirt up some more, revealing the milky warm skin of her midsection. Bending his head down, he pressed numerous kisses to her skin while his hands found their way to the waistband of her pajama pants. He wanted to become worthy of her love. He wanted to pleasure her, show her how much he felt for her.

Michael's mind filled with wicked thoughts as he tugged both her pajama pants and panties off her legs. He ran his hands up her calves and thighs in a long smooth caress until he reached the patch of curls covering her womanhood. He pushed her legs apart and settled his head between her thighs.

"Michael…" Sara whispered, finally waking and opening her eyes. Then she gasped. "MICHAEL!"

His tongue worked its exquisite torture on her flesh. Kissing, suckling, licking… it dove in and out of her with sweet tormenting strokes. Sara's hips bucked underneath him. Michael had to hold them down with his hands as he continued.

"Michael…" Sara said breathlessly as he brought her up to an astounding height of ecstasy. It built and built until she couldn't bear it any more. She screamed his name out as she climaxed. Her body quivered with pleasure, but Michael did not stop. He continued his relentless assault and she was hit again and again with bouts of bliss one after the other.

Sara was finally able to catch her breath when Michael removed his head from her thighs. He crawled up her body until his head loomed over hers, licking his lips of her sweetness. The sight of his tongue made her hot and flushed all over again.

Michael grinned at her sweetly. "Good morning," he said to her in a warm whisper that caressed her face.

With shaky arms, Sara drew him down closer. "Good morning indeed," she said before capturing his lips.

Sara clutched at his shirt and slipped it away from his body. He helped with her shirt as well, leaving her in only her bra. They continued to kiss while Sara coaxed Michael to lie on his back. She moved over him and straddled his waist. Her fingers reached behind her back to the clasp of her bra as her eyes glanced at her clock on the bedside table.

"What time is your flight back to Seattle?" she asked him as the clasp came free, freeing her breasts from the undergarment.

Michael stared a moment, mesmerized, before he glanced at the time as well. "In six hours," he told her as his hands reached up to touch her.

Sara grinned at him mischievously and grabbed his wrists, pushing them back down to his sides. She leaned forward, rubbing the tips of her breasts against his chest. Her lips came dangerously close to his and she whispered one last word before she tugged down his boxers, freeing his hard erection.

"Good."

--

Despite having six hours to get ready and drive to the airport, the happy couple arrived at Michael's gate terminal within fifteen minutes of his flight's takeoff. But they didn't care about being almost late. They were still basking in their post-coital bliss.

With one arm wrapped around Sara's waist and the other dragging his rolling luggage behind him, Michael walked towards his gate, a large smile upon his face. Of course he wasn't happy about having to leave Sara again, but he would be back in about a week and their 'morning bed exercises' left him in a wonderful mood.

And also, Sara loved him.

That fact made him the luckiest, happiest man alive. How could he not smile?

Especially with her smiling up at him like that. God, he loved her smile. It could be the darkest, coldest most rainy day of the year, but Sara's smile warmed him and brightened the day better than the sun and a clear sky ever could.

They stopped a few feet away from the gate. Letting go of the handle of his luggage, Michael turned to face Sara. She smiled up at him. Stepping towards her, he rested his forehead against hers.

"I wish you could come with me," he said shutting his eyes and breathing in her scent. He loved her smell. It was a sweet scent with a little mixture of the sterile soap the doctors used to wash up. It sounds kind of silly, put that way, but Michael loved the smell nonetheless. It suited her.

Sara brought her arms up around his neck. She let out a sigh and pulled back a little bit so she could look at his face. "I wish I could too," she told him. "But you're coming back in a week."

Michael nodded and leaned forward, taking her lips with his in a gentle kiss. Sara let out another happy sigh and shut her eyes.

"I love you, Michael," Sara whispered to him softly.

Michael stilled when she said this, and Sara felt it. Slowly, she opened her eyes to see him stare at her with such intensity that it made her breath hitch. Without warning, Michael leaned down and kissed her again, this time with much more force. This kiss practically swept Sara off her feet and she wrapped her arms more tightly around his neck to keep standing. Michael pulled her close to him, pressing her body up against his, and Sara felt fire all over.

"We're now boarding for Flight 304, Seattle, Washington. Please have your tickets ready," said the female voice of the ticket taker standing in front of the gate.

Michael slowly released her. He glanced over at the line of people already forming in front of the gate then back at Sara. Bringing his hand up, he caressed her face and let out a sigh. "I have to go," he told her and planted another kiss on her lips.

Sara nodded, still in a daze from his kisses. Michael gave her a smile and kissed her once more before going towards the gate with his ticket in hand. Sara watched as he came up and ran his ticket through. Her eyes stayed on his back until he disappeared down through the doors.

His kisses had left her swooning, but Sara couldn't ignore the slight unpleasant feeling inside that kept telling her, _"He didn't say 'I love you,' back."_

--

"Excuse me, miss?" Michael called out to one of the flight attendants walking down the isle of the plane. "Can I get a drink?" he asked.

The flight attendant nodded. "What would you like?"

"Anything with alcohol, please."

The flight attendant gave him a sheepish smile. "All right then. I'll be a minute."

Michael nodded and let out a long sigh. He felt like a total ass. He replayed the scene at the gate terminal in his mind over and over again. He knew that Sara felt him tense up when she had said, "I love you." And he knew that she would draw bad conclusions and doubts from that slight hesitation. And that made him feel like the most horrible person in the world. He didn't know why he tensed up, but he did and now Sara probably thought that he didn't return her feelings, which was far from the truth. He sighed once more.

"First time flying?" asked the elderly lady who was sitting next to him.

Michael glanced at his neighbor. Her gray hair was pined up and she had a kind look to her face. He gave her a polite smile. "No, I'm perfectly comfortable with airplanes and flying," he told her. "I'm afraid my nerves are rattled by something altogether different."

The elderly woman smiled and stared at him a little bit. "I see." She then grinned. "Is it woman troubles?" she asked, a slight glimmer in her eye.

Michael let out a small laugh. "No, no troubles," he said.

"But a woman is involved, right?"

He instantly liked this woman. She was perceptive. He nodded. His neighbor smiled again and turned herself slightly more towards him, giving him her full attention.

"Tell me about it," she told him. "Maybe I can be of help." She smiled at him. "Let me guess, you're in love with a woman but she doesn't know you exist?" the woman guessed.

Michael shook his head. She then laughed. "Of course not!" she said more to herself than to him. "With a face like yours, you probably have the pick of the litter!"

Michael bowed his head at her compliment and smiled. "We're actually together," he told her.

"Then what seems to be the problem, son?" the woman asked, taking on a sort of motherly tone. It reminded Michael of his own mother, letting him open up to this kind stranger.

"I uh," he began, taking a deep breath. "She told me that she loved me."

"That's a good thing," his neighbor pointed out.

Michael nodded, agreeing with her. "I know. It's a wonderful thing." He smiled. "Probably the best thing to happen to me in my life."

The woman took a good long look at him, trying to learn the story behind his words and sighs. "You didn't say it back, did you?"

Michael looked back at her. He smiled. "You're very wise."

The woman waved off his compliment and smiled back. "Comes with the years." She let out a sigh of her own. It was a wistful sound, a sound that told Michael that she was remembering something from her past.

"My husband was the very same back in the day when we first started dating," she told him. "Every time I said 'I love you' to him he either said something like 'Me too' or kissed me to shut me up." She let out a small laugh at the memories. "It frustrated me to no end!"

Michael smiled at this woman. "How did he finally say it to you?" he asked.

The woman turned to him, coming out of her reverie of the past. "To be honest, I don't really remember," she told him with an apologetic smile. "All I know is that once he began saying those three words to me, there wasn't a day that passed where he didn't say it at least once. And that lasted until the day he died."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Michael said. He had not realized that her husband was dead.

The woman smiled. "It's quite all right, son. No need to apologize." She sighed again. "His last words to me were those three special words and I carry them with me in my heart everyday. It helps me get by each day, which is why I hope that you'll be able to tell your ladylove that you love her one day. So she can carry those words with her every single day of her life." She turned to Michael to face him. "You do love her, right?"

"I…" Michael paused and then tipped his head in a nod. "Yes, I do."

The woman smiled, and Michael saw from the wrinkles on her face that her life was filled with smiles and love. He wanted a life like that. With Sara.

"Well, I wish you good luck…" the woman trailed off as she realized that she did not know his name.

"Michael," he told her. "My name is Michael."

The woman's eyes sparkled. "Why, that's my husband's name!"

Michael smiled, a little happy that he had the same namesake as this woman's husband, for he sounded like a good man. "And you are?" Michael asked her, holding out his hand.

The woman placed her wrinkled hand into his and shook it. "My name is Sara," she told him.

Michael froze mid-shake and stared at the woman in front of him. She then realized what he was thinking.

"Don't tell me that your girl's name is Sara too?" she asked him.

"It is," Michael said with a smile.

The elder Sara laughed. "I'll be damned!" She smiled. "Well, Michael, I wish you and your Sara the same happiness that me and my Michael had."

"Thank you," Michael said.

At that moment the flight attendant came back with his drink, but Michael didn't really need it anymore.

--

"Hey," Lindsey said as Sara walked in to their hospital office space.

"Hey," Sara said back.

Lindsey tossed the file she was looking through back onto her desk. "You already dropped Michael off at the airport?"

Sara nodded and said, "Yes." She smiled at her friend. "Thank you for calling him, Lindsey."

Lindsey waved it off. "I knew he was the only one who would be able to get you out of your slump. I just didn't expect him to come back here to check on you himself."

Sara smiled. "That's Michael for you."

"A regular knight in shining armor," Lindsey laughed. Sara just smiled, but Lindsey knew something was up. "What is it?"

Sara shook her head. "It's nothing."

"Sara, don't make me shake it out of you," Lindsey said. "Now tell me. What's the matter?"

Sara sat down in her chair, a little pensive. "I told Michael that I loved him."

"And that's a problem because?" Lindsey prodded some more.

"Because he said nothing after I did," Sara said quietly, looking down.

Lindsey's jaw dropped slightly at that. "Are you serious?"

Sara nodded. God, she felt like such a fool! Baring her feelings like that only to have him to say nothing about them. She hated this vulnerability.

"And now you think he doesn't feel the same way?" Lindsey asked for clarification. Sara nodded once again.

"You stupid girl," Lindsey scolded.

Sara looked up abruptly at her friend. Wasn't this the part where her friend became comforting and understanding now?

"Of course he feels the same way about you!" Lindsey exclaimed. "He flew across the country just to see you! If that's not love, then I don't know what is!"

She took in a deep breath and slowly exhaled to calm herself down. "Look Sara, Michael may be exceptional in every way possible, but he is still a guy. And it is a well known fact that men have trouble expressing their feelings."

Sara smiled a little bit at that and laughed through her nose. Lindsey had a point there.

Lindsey placed a hand on her friend's shoulder in comfort. "Just give him time. He'll say it eventually. You have nothing to worry about. Having seen the way he looks at you and the way he acts around you, it's quite obvious that he's crazy about you."

Sara nodded. Michael may have not told her that he loved her, but he has definitely showed her with his actions. And actions spoke louder than words, right?

But still, it would be nice if he just said those three words to her like she did to him.

--

"I still can't believe that Michael went on a flight in the middle of the night just to see if Sara was all right," Andrew said standing still as Lily tied his tie.

She looked at him with her brows raised. "Really?"

Andrew grinned. "Well, not really. He is, after all, totally in love with her. It's no surprise that he would cross the country to get to her."

Lily put her finishing touch on the knot of his tie and straightened it out a bit more. She gave her boyfriend a sultry look. "Would you do something like that for me?" she asked him.

Andrew pulled her close to him and smiled. "You know I would do anything for you," he told her before kissing her.

"Yeah, anything to get me into bed," Lily teased. Andrew laughed and kissed her again.

_Knock. Knock._

Andrew moved to answer the door and found Michael on the other side, his clothes slightly rumpled from his flight. "Hey," he said as he let Michael in.

"Hey," Michael said to his friends. "I was hoping you guys were still here."

"Yeah, you're lucky that we aren't needed at the building site until the afternoon today," Andrew said. "Or else the beast would tan your hide when we get back to Chicago."

"How is Sara?" Lily asked, as she straightened out the hotel room a little bit. "Is she all right now?"

Michael nodded and sat in the nearest seat. "Yeah, she's fine."

"I'm glad," Lily said. "With the way you rushed off like that, we thought something was seriously wrong."

Andrew grinned. "Who knew you could be so dramatic?" he teased.

Michael just smiled at his friends and leaned back into his chair, slouching slightly in it.

"I'm gonna finish getting ready," Lily told Andrew, giving him a peck on the cheek before disappearing down the hall towards the bathroom.

Turning back towards Michael, Andrew saw his friend deep in thought, his brow furrowed together. "Hey, what's up man? You all right?" Andrew asked.

Michael slowly looked back at his friend. "I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"It's nothing."

Andrew snorted. "Michael, it's never 'nothing' when it comes to you. Come on now, out with it."

"You sound like my brother," Michael said, shaking his head.

"Doesn't he beat information out of you when you don't give it to him immediately?" Andrew joked.

Michael sat up straight and then leaned forward, pretending to be menacing. "You wanna try it?"

Andrew laughed. Michael had a good four inches over him and with a guy like Lincoln for a brother, he probably knew a thing or two about defending himself. "No, but seriously, what's the matter?"

Michael leaned back in his chair, retreating back to his thoughts, trying to think of a way to put them into words. He looked to his friend who was looking back at him expectantly. Would it be a bad idea to ask Andrew for advice? Michael then thought of the relationship between Andrew and Lily. It was no secret that the two of them loved each other. They probably said "I love you" to each other every day. More than once every day.

"How did you do it?" Michael asked his friend.

"Do what?"

Michael paused for a moment, studying his friend. The worse that could happen was a few days of teasing, so he breathed in a bit of air before continuing.

"How did you first tell Lily that you love her?" Michael asked.

Andrew blinked his eyes for a few seconds but then broke into a slight grin. "What? Why are you asking about this?"

"Nevermind," Michael said, breaking eye contact with his friend. He was beginning to regret asking him.

"No, no, no," Andrew said, laughing. "You have to tell me! Does this have something to do with Sara?"

Michael kept his gaze turned away from his friend and fidgeted in his chair slightly confirming that it had everything to do with Sara. Andrew smiled.

"Well, to answer your question," Andrew began, "it was kind of by accident."

At this Michael looked back to his friend. "Really?"

He nodded. "You remember, we hooked up after we got into that car accident. When I woke up in the hospital, Sara was there and she asked me about Lily and I told her that I loved her, not knowing that Lily was standing right there in the doorway."

"Yeah, now I remember," Michael said.

"Now that I think about it, if it wasn't for that car accident, I probably wouldn't have told her," Andrew told them. Then his eyes lit up with a teasing glint. "If you want, I can run you over with my car so you can profess your love to Sara."

"I..." Michael began, but Lily walked into the room.

"What are you guys talking about?" she asked.

Andrew pointed to Michael. "Michael here is having trouble telling Sara that he loves her."

Lily frowned at Michael. "You haven't told Sara that you love her?" When Michael said nothing, she prodded some more. "Has she told you that she loves you?"

Again, Michael was silent and avoided her gaze. Lily's hands twitched and she walked over and smack the back of his head. "How could you!"

"Ow!" Michael cried out, bringing a palm up to rub the stinging spot she had left.

"She did, didn't she?" Lily said accusingly. "She told you that she loved you and you said nothing, didn't you?"

Andrew came up to his girlfriend and drew her slightly back from Michael to keep her from hitting him again. "Easy Lily," he said softly.

Lily huffed and puffed, crossing her arms. "I recall a time when you were all 'What's so hard about saying I love you'?"

Michael flinched at that. He remembered it too. He bowed his head down in the face of his hypocrisy.

"This is exactly why I didn't say it first! I didn't want to feel like a complete fool when I confessed my feelings and didn't have them returned. Do you have any idea how Sara is feeling right now?" Lily told him.

Andrew glanced at his fuming girlfriend. "You were afraid that I didn't love you back?"

Lily ignored him and kept her stare down on Michael. Despite being a couple inches over six feet in height, Michael felt like he was only an inch tall underneath her relentless stare.

"But I do return her feelings," Michael said.

"Don't tell me that! Go say it to Sara!" Lily told him.

Andrew grabbed a hold of his girlfriend's arm and tugged her gently towards him. He was afraid she was going to hit Michael again. "Lily, leave him alone. It's not really our business," he told her, calming her. "Let's get down to the building site," he said, gently pushing her towards the door.

Lily shot him a look and one at Michael before walking out into the hall. Andrew moved to follow her, but then turned back to look at Michael. "She's right you know," he said. "You should just tell Sara, if you do love her."

"I do," Michael said emphatically.

"Then tell her, man. You'll feel great afterwards, trust me," Andrew told him with a smile.

And with that, he left the hotel room, shutting the door behind him. Lily was waiting for him outside in the hall. She reached for his hand and the two of them began walking down the hall together.

"I can't believe that Michael did that to Sara," Lily said frowning.

"Don't worry, he'll tell her," Andrew said, giving him a reassuring smile. They continued to walk, hand in hand. "I wish you had told me that you loved me back when you first realized it."

"I was waiting for you to say it first," she told him.

"I'm a guy, of course I wasn't going to say it first. At least not intentionally," he replied with a sheepish grin.

Lily smiled and placed a kiss on his grin. "At least you said those three words. Can't say the same for Michael."

"Like I said, don't worry because he will tell her."

--

Sara let out a long sigh as she looked down at the Chicago city from up in Michael's apartment. Before Michael had left for Seattle, he had given her the key to his apartment to keep an eye on things for the time when he would be gone. She had gotten the mail from his mailbox and placed it in a nice neat pile on his coffee table.

It was a couple days since he left for Seattle the second time, a couple days since she told him that she loved him. And since then, when they talked on the phone, he still acted like she hadn't said it at all. Michael was coming back in just a couple more days, maybe then he would do something, give her some kind of reaction. Until he came back, all she could do was wait.

Sara wanted to ask him if he returned the feelings she had for him, but she didn't want to pressure him into saying so if he didn't mean it. She didn't want him to think that just because she said "I love you" he had to say it back. She wanted him to mean it, for it to be genuine. So she would wait, until he was ready, she will wait.

And if he didn't love her back, she would go look for a rock and crawl under it.

Sara let out another sigh and moved from her spot at the window. Walking through Michael's apartment, she lightly trailed her fingers over his things. His apartment had very modern looking furniture. Only a few photographs were presented on his walls and shelves. She picked up one and looked down at it. It was a picture of Michael, another man who was wearing sunglasses, and a younger version of Michael's nephew, LJ. She bet the other man was Michael's brother and LJ's father, Lincoln. She never met the man, but Michael had mentioned him a few times.

Setting the picture down, Sara moved to pick up another. It was an older picture, the brownish-yellowish tint in its coloring belied its age. The picture had a woman in it with a little boy in her lap while an older boy sat next to them. All three of them were smiling. At that moment, Sara's cell phone began to ring. It was Michael.

"Hey," Sara said into her phone.

"Hi," Michael said. "What are you up to now?"

"I'm actually at your apartment, you know, getting your mail, tidying things up," she told him. "Peeking into your underwear drawer," she teased.

He chuckled and Sara couldn't help but laugh too.

"I'm looking at one of your pictures and I believe it's of you when you were little," Sara told him taking the old framed photograph into her hands. She walked over to one of his leather arm chairs and sat down in it, tucking her legs up.

"Is it the one of my mom, me and my brother?" Michael inquired.

"Yup, I believe that's the one," she told him. "You were kind of chubby when you were little."

Michael laughed again. "Baby fat."

Sara laughed too. She looked down at the picture again and focused on his mother's face. "Your mother was beautiful, Michael. I now see where you got your good looks."

Sara could feel him smile on the other side. She just knew it.

"Yeah, she was a beautiful woman, on the outside and the inside," Michael said. "Like you."

Sara smiled and blushed.

_Beep. Beep._

Sara glanced down at her waist and unclipped her pager from her belt. A 911 call. "Damn it."

"What?" Michael asked on the other end.

"I just got paged. I have to head down to the hospital."

"Oh, okay."

"I'll talk to you later, Michael. Love you," she said in a rush.

"Sara, wait, I..." Michael began...

But she had already hung up.

Over in Seattle, Michael set the hotel phone down and slouched in his chair. He wanted so much to get back to Sara. He wanted to tell her that he loved her, to say those three words to her. He wanted to say it to her in person, not over the phone. He wanted to see her face when he said it. He wanted to taste her lips when he kissed her after he said it.

But he had to wait a couple more days when his job in Seattle was over before he could do any of those things. Lily accused him of using the project as an excuse to put off telling Sara and maybe she was a little right. He wasn't sure what was keeping him from saying those three words to Sara. Perhaps it was fear, but fear of what? What did he have to be afraid of? Rejection? That was ridiculous since Sara had already told him that she loved him. So what was it?

_'I will always love you...'_

Michael looked up. The voice in his head wasn't Sara's, it belonged to his mother. She had said it to him the day before she died. He thought of his mother, the last few moments he had with her when he was a kid.

His last words to her were "I love you."

His mother was probably the only woman he has ever said those three words to. So it was possible for him to say it. But saying it to his mother and saying it to Sara were two very different things.

Sighing, Michael ran a hand over his head in thought. He recalled the last memory he had of his mom, her arms wrapped around him as she hugged him, her chin resting on the top of his head. He told her that he loved her and the next day, she died.

Was that it? Was he afraid that if he told Sara he loved her, he would lose her? When put that way, it seemed ridiculous but it was probably how his mind saw it.

Shaking his head of those thoughts, Michael glanced towards his hotel bed. He should get some rest, it had been a long day and trying to analyze the workings of his mind made it worst. No wonder his psychiatrist had trouble understanding him. Climbing into bed, he turned out the lights and shut his eyes, slowly slipping into slumber.

--

_"Hey, how was school?" Christina Rose Scofield asked her two sons when they came home._

_A twelve year old Lincoln Burrows just shrugged and went to the refrigerator for a soda. Seven year old Michael Scofield set his book bag on the table and climbed into a chair._

_"A girl in my class said she liked me," Michael told his mother._

_Lincoln snickered. "Mikey's got a girlfriend!" he teased. _

_"Lincoln, don't tease your brother," Christina scolded. She turned back to her younger son. "Did you say anything back to her?"_

_Michael shook his head. "I didn't know what to say."_

_"Well, do you like her back?" his mom asked him._

_Little Michael looked down bashfully. "Yeah."_

_Lincoln smirked like older brothers do. "Mikey's got a crush on a girl!" he teased again._

_"Like you're one to talk, Lincoln," Christina said to her elder son. "I know you like Veronica," she said with a glimmer in her eye._

_That made him back off of his younger brother. "I uh, got homework to do," he said lamely and left the room._

_Christina smiled after her older son and turned back to Michael. "Why didn't you tell this girl that you like her back, Michael?"_

_"I dunno," Michael told her._

_Christina smoothed his messy hair with a motherly hand. "You should tell her. I bet it would make her happy and smile."_

_Michael looked up at his mother, a bright look in his eyes. "She has a pretty smile."_

_"Is that why you like her? Because she's pretty?"_

_"No," Michael said shaking his head. "I also like her because she's nice."_

_Christina smiled at her son once again. "You should tell her."_

_"I can't."_

_"Why not Michael?"_

_"I just can't. It's...it's hard, mom."_

_"Michael, it's not as hard as you're making it out to be," Christina told him. She leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on the top of his head. "You're always making things more complicated than they really are. I suppose it's a result of you being too smart for your age," she said with a smile. _

_"Sometimes things can be simple, Michael. Just tell her."_

_-- _

Michael opened his eyes, the dream still fresh in his memory.

_'Just tell her,'_ his mother had told him.

He sat up in bed. His mother was right. She was always right. He smiled at that. It _really_ was simple.

He thought of Andrew and Lily. When the two of them finally told each other of their love, everything got better for them. He knew every time he saw them together, every time they looked at each other. It gave him hope.

He thought of the elderly Sara he had met on the plane and her late husband, Michael. He remembered thinking that the wrinkles on her face showed that her life with her husband was full of smiles and love, and he knew that was because they loved each other and said it every day to each other until the day her husband died.

He thought of his mother, who was wise beyond her years with her words staying with him even now. Everyday, she told him and Lincoln that she loved them, up until the day she died, just like elderly Sara's husband did for her.

But most of all, he thought of Sara. He loved Sara. He truly did, from her beautiful smile on her face down to the toes that tickled his feet when they slept together. From her sharp wit to her concern for everyone around her. She made him feel good about himself and about life. She made him laugh and smile. And she loved him. Sara loved him and he loved her. Michael loved her and everything about her.

And he wanted her to know that.

--

The rest of the week passed by, and in those few days Michael thought of a thousand ways on how he was going to tell Sara his feelings for her. He liked none of them. None of the plans he thought of seemed right. He looked out the airplane window, at the dark night lit-up sky above the city as the plane flew over the city.

Michael began thrumming his fingers on his thighs. He would see Sara soon and he had no plan on how to tell her he loved her, hence the nervous tapping. He was going to have to do it Lincoln style: by winging it.

"Stop that," Andrew said, in the seat next to Michael, referring to the tapping.

Michael glanced over to his friend. He had his eyes closed, but he was awake, only resting. Lily was asleep with her head resting on Andrew's shoulder. It was late and most of the passengers were asleep like her. Michael probably should have slept a little bit too, but he was too wired, his mind too concerned with what he was about to do.

"I'm not making any noise," Michael said as he stilled his hands.

"Yeah, but I can still sense you doing it and it's still annoying," Andrew told him. He opened his eyes and shot him a sideways look. "Relax man. You have nothing to be worried about. She already told you she loved you."

"Yeah and I left her hanging," Michael said with a release of a long breath.

Andrew grinned. "It won't matter as long as you tell her eventually. It will be fine Michael," he reassured his friend.

Michael nodded and turned back to the window. A few moments later, the plane finally landed at O'Hare airport and he was back in Chicago. Andrew gently shook Lily awake and they all got their carry on bags out of the overhang, and proceeded out of the plane per the flight attendants' instructions. As Michael stepped through the doors, he glanced around the airport, scanning for Sara's face. When he found her, his face practically lit up, any trace of nervousness momentarily gone.

Sara gave him a smile and a wave, and Michael walked up to her with swift steps and a smile of his own. Putting his luggage down at his feet when he reached her, Michael took a good long look at her with caressing eyes, and then took her in his arms. His hand found its way around her body, to the small of her back, bringing Sara closer to him. His other hand moved up to her head, touching her soft silky hair.

"God I missed you," Michael exclaimed into her ear.

Sara smiled and slid her hands in between their bodies, sliding them up until her arms were around his neck, bringing him closer. "I missed you too," she told him

"Hey," Andrew said as he and Lily came near them.

Sara smiled at the couple. "Hey you guys," she said as she turned toward them. Michael kept an arm around her waist. "Welcome home."

Lily gave her a tired smile. "Thanks," she said, resting her head upon Andrew's shoulder. "I just wanna go home and go to bed."

Andrew smiled and kissed the top of her head. "And I'll go there with you." He looked to Michael and Sara. "We'll see you guys later."

Michael nodded while Sara waved as they watched their friends walk away. Sara turned back to Michael. "You want to go home now too?"

Nodding again, Michael picked up his luggage with an arm still wrapped around her waist as they walked out of the airport together. He didn't want to let her go.

--

"So did you get me anything from Seattle?" Sara asked as she drove to Michael's apartment.

Michael smiled and glanced at her. "I thought you said that all you wanted was me," he said teasingly.

Sara smiled and laughed. She shot him a glance before focusing back on the road. "True, but I thought you would still get me something," she said with a shrug.

"I do have something for you," Michael told her. "But you have to wait until we get back to my place."

Sara flashed him a smile. "All right."

For the rest of the drive, Sara asked questions about Seattle and how the project went. At a red light, Michael reached for one of her hands on the steering wheel, taking it into his own. Sara glanced down with a smile as his long fingers toyed with hers. When they finally reached his apartment, Sara unlocked the door and the two of them brought Michael's luggage inside.

Flipping on the lights, Sara let out a small sigh. "Home sweet home."

Michael stepped towards her, smiling. "Yeah," he said, tucking her hair behind her ear. He gazed down at her face with his blue green eyes, full of feeling and longing.

Reaching for the hand playing with her hair, Sara looked back up at him. "Michael?"

"Would you like your gift now?" Michael asked her.

Sara smiled. "Sure."

Michael then took her hand and placed it on his chest, where his heart was. Sara felt his heart beat against her palm, making a warm feeling spread from her fingertips to the rest of her body.

"Here," Michael said.

Sara looked down at her hand being held to his heartbeat by his own hand before glancing back up at Michael. "I, I don't understand."

Michael smiled at her. "A week ago, when I first came back from Seattle, you said three special words to me," he said, still holding her hand to his heartbeat. "And I didn't know what to do."

Sara's bottom lip fell open and her eyes took on a vulnerable shine. "Michael..."

"Wait, let me finish," he told her, pressing her hand more firmly against his chest when she tried to pull away.

"Then you said it again the next morning and I still did nothing," he continued.

"Michael, you don't--" Sara began, but Michael cut her off again.

"By doing nothing, I made you think that I felt nothing for you, didn't I?" he asked her.

Sara just stared at him, wide eyed, unsure of what to say.

"Sara, please don't think that way, because I do feel something. I just didn't know how to say it. I..." Michael paused and swallowed hard.

"Michael, you don't have to say something just because I said it," Sara told him.

"But I want to, Sara" Michael said. "Because...because..."

Sara gazed up into his face, right into his eyes, her hand still across his heart which was beating faster.

"I love you."

He said it. He finally said it, those three special words. And it was just like how Andrew said it would be. He felt great, wonderful even. So he said it again.

"I love you, Sara."

"Michael..." Sara whispered softly. Her face slowly broke into a smile.

"I'm not saying this because you said it. I'm saying because it's true," Michael told her as he stroked the side of her face with his hand, his fingertips playing with her hair. "I'm saying it because I want you to know it. I want you to smile each day because you know that I love you, Sara."

Sara closed her eyes, absorbing the warmth of his hand on her face.

"Can you say it again, Sara? Those three words?" Michael asked

Opening her eyes, Sara looked up, her gaze meeting Michael's deep blue-green eyes. She smiled.

"I love you, Michael."

Smiling, Michael dipped his head down to hers, claiming her lips with his own. He gathered her close to his body, the heat of their feelings and love encompassing them both feverishly.

"Michael," Sara said breathlessly against his lips, her warm breath mingling with his. "Now that you've said it with words," she began in between kisses and caresses, "can you show me with actions?"

Michael pulled his face away to look down at her. Her lips were pink and swollen from his kiss and she looked up at him with a sultry look in her hazel eyes. He couldn't help but grin.

"That was the plan," Michael told her as he scooped her up into his arms and began carrying her off to his bedroom.

Sara smiled and kissed the corner of his mouth.

"Good."


	20. Dinner With the Tancredis

--

**In Another Life**

Chapter 20 - "Dinner With the Tancredis"

--

Sara woke up smiling. She couldn't help it, she felt wonderful. The aches and pains she had in her shoulders, in her arms, in her feet last night were all gone. She turned in bed and smiled again. It was thanks to Michael, who was sleeping in bed next to her.

The day before Sara had been up on her feet at the hospital from morning to night. She tended to patient after patient after patient. When she got back home to her apartment, she was aching all over. Then Michael came over and he offered her a foot rub along with a back rub. One thing led to another and they began to make crazy love on the couch many times before moving to the bedroom.

Sara's smile turned into wicked grin as she recalled the previous night. She looked to Michael by her side. He slept on his stomach, a soft snore coming from his nose. Sara pecked him on the forehead and then slipped quietly out of bed. Slipping on a bathrobe and tying the sash around her waist, she made her way down the hall to the kitchen, passing by the living room where the floor was littered with their clothes from last night.

Normally Sara wouldn't leave such a mess just lying there, but her stomach grumbled and growled, craving food. Looking at the clock on her desk as she passed by into the kitchen, Sara saw that it was past noon. She was grateful that her boss had given her the next couple of days off from work yesterday; otherwise she would have been very late.

Seeing as how they missed breakfast and that it was already time for lunch, Sara decided she would cook a "brunch" type of meal, which consisted of a five-egg omelet and a couple of BLT sandwiches. She figured Michael would wake up by the time she was done, but as she was putting in toothpicks through the sandwiches there was a knock at her door.

Wiping her hands with a washcloth, Sara made her way to the front door and found her stepmother, Eileen Tancredi, on the other side.

"Oh that son of my mine!" Eileen began ranting as she strode into Sara's apartment.

Sara just blinked as her stepmother whirled right by her. Quietly she closed the door as she listened to learn what her stepbrother did this time.

"Did you know that he had a girlfriend?" Eileen went on as she paced the spot behind Sara's sofa. "They've been dating for months now and he never saw fit to tell his own mother! Do you know how I found out? He called your father, asking him to help him buy a house in New York. A house for him _and_ his girlfriend! I haven't even met her, and he's already thinking about moving in with her!"

"But you have met her, Mom," Sara told her. "Vincent's girlfriend is my friend, Lindsey."

Eileen stopped. She faced Sara. "Your friend, Lindsey?"

Sara nodded with an amused smile on her face.

Her stepmother's face flushed and her hands reached up to her cheeks in embarrassment. "Oh. Well, that changes everything. Lindsey's such a wonderful girl," Eileen mused. She then turned an accusatory look in Sara's direction. "You should have told me Vincent was dating your friend."

Sara gave her stepmother an apologetic look. "I thought Vincent told you."

Eileen just turned away and muttered something under her breath about how her children never tell her anything, but there was still a smile on her face, belying the love she had for them. Her eyes then caught onto something hanging off the side of Sara's armchair.

"Sara," Eileen said, walking over to the chair and picking the thing up, "what's this?"

Sara looked up and to her horror, her stepmother was holding up Michael's blue boxers. She had completely forgotten about the mess of clothes thrown all about her living room, every bit a piece of condemning evidence of what they did last night.

To make matters worse and even more embarrassing, Michael's voice called from the direction of her bedroom, down the hall. "Sara?"

Panicking, Sara half hurried, half pushed her stepmother into the kitchen while whispering "Hide!" and shut the doors behind her. She turned around to see Michael come into the living room.

A single white sheet was wrapped around his waist, held up only by Michael's right hand. He gave Sara a lazy caressing smile. "Hey you."

A warm melting sensation washed over her whenever he looked at her like that. It couldn't be helped. She strode over and placed a chaste kiss upon his lips. "Hey."

Michael looked down at his meager coverings, not that Sara was complaining. "I seem to be missing my clothes," he said with a boyish grin.

It brought a smile to Sara's lips that Michael would be shy to walk around her apartment naked in broad daylight, especially given how he acted the night before. She looked around the living room floor which was still littered with their clothing. "Well…"

Michael chuckled and kissed her cheek before going around the room collecting his pants and shirt. He found Sara's panties under the sofa and tossed them to her in a teasing manner. She caught them and sent him a mock scowl in return which only made him grin as he continued to search for his clothes.

"I can't find my boxers," Michael said, taking another look around the room.

Panic rushed back into Sara's limbs as she remembered her stepmother holding up Michael's underwear. She hastily glanced at the closed kitchen door and then back at Michael who was now standing up.

She gave him a slightly nervous smile. "I'll check the kitchen."

Michael shot her a sideways glance as she made her way towards the door. "But we didn't make love in the kitchen," he said and then grinned. "At least not yet."

Dropping the bed sheet and his gathered clothes, along with his modesty, Michael followed after Sara. He came up behind her just as she opened the door and caught her by the waist, pulling her to his body, her buttocks to his arousal. Gasping, Sara ignored the jolt of desire she got from feeling him against her and struggled to close the door before her stepmother and Michael saw each other, but the door swung open, moving the doorknob just out of reach of her fingertips.

"Oh my!" came a startled cry.

Michael lifted his head up and the teasing grin completely vanished. There in the middle of Sara's kitchen was her stepmother, one hand held up to her open mouth in alarm and in the other were his missing boxers. Turning ten shades of red, Michael hid himself more behind Sara, using her as a shield to cover his nakedness, while she muttered out an "Oh dear God!"

Eileen knew that in moments of extreme embarrassment, it was best to make light of the situation in order to decrease humiliation. It was something she was quite good at. So she just smiled apologetically and held out Michael's underwear. "I believe you were looking for these."

Sara snatched the boxers and said a quick "Excuse us," as she and Michael backed out of the kitchen, closing the door once again.

As soon as the door was shut, Michael slipped on his boxers and went to gather the rest of his clothes. "Why didn't you tell me that your stepmom was here?"

"I didn't have the chance," Sara said, coming up to him and kissing him on the cheek. "I'm sorry. Why don't you go get dressed in my room and I'll see my mom out?"

"Okay," Michael said, returning her kiss before venturing down the hall.

Sara waited until she heard her bedroom door shut before she went back to the kitchen. "Mom?" Sara called out as she knocked on the door.

"Is it safe to come out?"

"Yes," Sara said with a slight laugh.

The door opened and Eileen came out, still with the smile on her face. "Well then," she said in the silence. "I should probably get going."

"Yeah," Sara said.

Eileen reached for her daughter and pulled her into a hug. "I'll call you later then."

--

The call wouldn't be until later in the evening. Sara had been washing dishes when her cell phone rang. Wiping her hands dry, Sara made her way to her desk where her cell phone was. Picking it up and flipping it open, Sara saw that it wasn't her stepmother calling her. It was her father.

"Hello?" Sara said cautiously, in light of what happened earlier that day, knowing that her stepmother probably told Frank about it.

"Sara, it's your father."

"I know," Sara said. She took in a small intake of breath. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," he said briskly. "Your mother told me that she visited you this afternoon."

"She did."

"She also said she saw your new boyfriend."

'Too much of him,' Sara thought inwardly. "She did, and Michael and I have been together for a few months now."

"I want to meet him."

Her entire body went stiff. Those were five words Sara was hoping she wouldn't hear. "What?" she asked, hoping that she heard wrong.

"I want to meet your boyfriend," Frank repeated. "Bring him over for dinner tomorrow night."

"Tomorrow night?" Sara repeated. "We can't just drive up to Springfield tomorrow night! Michael's got work the next day and I—"

"I'm not in Springfield. I'm at our Chicago home with your mother, so it shouldn't be much trouble. It's just dinner, Sara."

Sara sighed. It was never 'just' anything when it came to her father, but she knew she couldn't win this. "All right," Sara said, giving in.

"Good," Frank said. "I'll see you at 7 p.m. tomorrow night."

He then hung up.

Sara snapped her phone shut and let out a long sigh.

--

The next day, Michael stood over his office desk with Andrew beside him as they went over a set of blueprints for the building project they were working on. Sara watched silently from the open doorway for a few minutes before knocking a fist on the door, alerting them to her presence. Michael caught sight of her when he lifted his head, and a smile graced his face.

"Am I interrupting?" Sara asked.

Andrew grinned. "Not at all. I'll just come back later," he said while leaving the room, but not before giving the two of them a wink.

Sara smiled and shook her head at him as he left. She turned back to Michael who was now leaning against his desk. He gestured for her to come to him, so she did. Gathering her up into his arms, Michael kissed her lips softly. "Hey."

"Hi," Sara said, smiling into his face.

"What brings you here?" he asked as his fingers toyed with the stray strands of her hair that fell from her ponytail.

"I got a call from my father last night."

Michael's hand stilled in her hair. "Your stepmom told him about yesterday."

"Apparently," Sara said with a grim nod. "He wants to meet you."

Michael couldn't stop from taking a sharp intake of breath. "Well, I would prefer to meet him under different circumstances, but that can't be helped now. When does he want to meet me?"

"Tonight."

"Tonight?"

Sara gave him another grim nod. "For dinner at seven o'clock."

"On such short notice?"

"My father can be a very impatient man," Sara said apologetically. "I can tell him we can't make it if you want."

Michael shook his head. "Wouldn't be good to blow off the governor."

"He's not that scary," Sara told him.

Michael smiled at her attempt at assurances. "But still…considering that…" he said, hesitating.

"Considering what?" Sara asked. "That he knows we're having sex? We're both adults, Michael. He knows that."

"Not just that," Michael said, "but also that he's close to Robert…It's not exactly going to paint a good impression for me."

Seeing the uncertainty in his face, Sara stepped closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I had completely forgotten about Robert until you brought him up," she told him, which brought a small smile to his face. Kissing his smile, Sara continued. "And even if my father does have a bias against you because of him, my stepmom likes you well enough. And she's not going to let my dad strike you down without a chance. Neither will I."

Michael smiled up at her and brought her lips to his, taking comfort in her love and warmth.

--

Despite Sara's reassurances that things will be all right, Michael couldn't help but feel a little nervous as the two of them walked up the front steps of the governor's Chicago home later that evening. He had only seen Frank Tancredi once in person, at the charity dinner his firm had been invited to, the night he first met Sara in fact. It was a brief meeting and Michael was grouped together with his co-workers. Frank had acknowledged them together as a single group, bidding them to enjoy themselves, and moved onto conversing with other people. This would be the first time Michael would be meeting the governor individually.

Noticing Michael's apprehension as they came up to the front door, Sara slipped her hand into his and gave it a tight comforting squeeze. He glanced at her and she offered him a smile. She then rang the doorbell, and in a few minutes, the door opened revealing Eileen Tancredi.

She greeted them with a bright smile and ushered them inside. "You guys arrived just on time. Dinner's just about ready. Here, let me take your coats."

Both Michael and Sara shrugged off their coats and Eileen hung them onto a coat hanger.

"Thank you, Mrs. Tancredi," Michael said.

"Oh it's no problem," she said. "I'm just glad to finally have you two over for dinner."

"Where's Dad?" Sara asked, not wanting to delay the inevitable.

"In his office, making a quick call. He'll join us in the dining room once he's done," Eileen told them. "Would you two like a glass of wine in the meantime?"

"Sure," Michael said, accepting the offer, thinking that a drink or two might help to settle his nerves.

Eileen poured them two glasses of white wine. "There. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll go fetch dinner," she said with a smile and then disappeared down towards the kitchen where smells of spice and meet wafted from.

Sara glanced at the dinner table as she took a sip from her glass. "They brought out the good china. Looks like they're trying to impress you."

"I'm already impressed," Michael said, looking at all at the elegance of the room. He had never seen a home so rich in old priceless furniture and paintings. By 'impressed' he meant 'intimidated.'

"That's good to hear," came a voice behind them.

Both of them turned around and saw Frank Tancredi behind them. The governor wasn't a tall man, but what he lacked in height he made up for in confidence and stature. His blue eyes went to his daughter. "Hello, Sara."

"Hello, Dad," Sara answered back.

Both Michael and Sara then set their glasses down and greeted him properly.

"Michael, this is my father," Sara said, making introductions. "Dad, this is Michael."

Frank offered out his hand and Michael accepted, firmly shaking his hand. "It's a pleasure to finally to make your acquaintance, Sir."

"Likewise," Frank said, but his tone didn't sound sincere.

The tension that was beginning to build in the room was broken when Eileen came back with a pot roast in hand.

"Oh, you're finally here, dear. Now we can start dinner," she said with a smile, seemingly oblivious to the deep stare that her husband was giving Michael.

Michael did his best not to be bothered by it and helped Sara into her chair before taking his seat. They sat right across from Frank and Eileen, Michael right across from Frank.

"So how long have the two of you been together?" Frank asked as he and Eileen served the food.

Seeing as how Frank stared straight at him when he asked the question, Michael felt compelled to answer him. "Since New Year's."

Frank's gaze shifted from Michael to Sara. "So that's where you ran off to that night," he remarked, remembering that she had disappeared just before midnight.

Sara gave a little nod and glanced back at Michael, which shifted Frank's gaze back to him. Michael looked down at his food underneath the man's stare. It wasn't a point in his favor that Sara had ditched her father's party to be with him.

Sara cleared her throat and tried to stir the conversation away from her and Michael. "So, Mom tells me that you're helping Vincent buy a house, Dad."

Frank nodded. "For him and his girlfriend, supposedly, even though I've never met the girl."

"Oh Dear, it turns out that Vincent's girlfriend is Sara's friend Lindsey from work," Eileen chimed in.

"Your doctor friend?"

"She's also my best friend, Dad," Sara said in a tone that said he should have known this already.

"Robert tells me she's a bit, ah, strong-willed."

The tone of Frank's voice belied that that was an understatement, that Robert had said things far worse about Sara's friend. There was no mistaking Robert's obvious dislike of Lindsey…or of Michael. Sara glanced at him to see how the mention of Robert affected him. Michael did his best to hide his discomfort, but it was obvious to everyone that the direction the current topic was going wasn't exactly to his liking.

Luckily, Eileen rode in for a rescue. "Oh hush now. I've met Lindsey and she's a delightful person. Just because Robert doesn't like her, doesn't mean that she's a bad person, especially since your daughter is so close to her."

Frank just grunted, not missing his wife's double meaning pertaining to Michael. Sara gave her stepmother a grateful smile and dinner continued. Eileen asked Michael and Sara how work was going for them, making all kinds of chit chat so that there wouldn't be any awkward silences. Once dinner was finished and eaten, Eileen glanced at her husband, who gave her a look. A silent message was exchanged between them. She then turned towards Sara with her usual smile, but this one lacked a bit of brightness.

"Sara, will you help me with the dishes and bringing out dessert?"

Sara greeted the request with a lift of her brows. She looked at her stepmother to her father and then to Michael and realized that Frank had set this up to talk with Michael alone. Knowing that her father would only use that moment for negativity, anger began to billow inside Sara. But then, underneath the table, a hand slipped into hers, giving her a quick squeeze. Sara glanced to her right, at Michael. He gave her a silent look that told her 'it was okay.'

Reluctantly, Sara looked back at her stepmother and nodded, getting up with her to clear the table. Before she left the room, Sara squeezed Michael's shoulder, trying to give him enough strength to survive her father.

Michael waited until both Tancredi women were out of the room before speaking. "So Mr. Tancredi, you managed to get Sara and your wife out of the room. You might as well say what you want to me now and get it over with."

Frank smiled a professional smile at him and swirled the wine in his glass before taking a sip. "I hope you don't mind, Michael, but since you're sleeping with my daughter I took the liberty of looking into your past."

"I'm not just sleeping with her," Michael said, offended at his insinuation that he was only using Sara for sex. "I'm in love with her."

Ignoring him, Frank continued. "What I found out wasn't exactly pretty." He leaned forward, all intimidation and presence. "Your father was a deadbeat abusive alcoholic who abandoned his family before you were even born. His whereabouts are currently unknown."

Michael steeled himself as Frank continued to describe his family. He knew that anything he said in protest would only result in even more disdain from the governor. So he remained silent.

"Your mother, who struggled to make enough money the years following your birth, resorted to stripping off her clothes and doing God knows what else."

Taking in a deep breath, Michael used all of his strength not to lash out in anger. As a child he hadn't realized what his mother was doing to keep bread on the table for him and his brother. When he got older, long after her death, he figured it out. Michael wasn't ashamed of his mother. She did what she had to for the sake of her family. There was no shame in that. Michael just wished that he could have repaid her tenfold for her love.

"Your brother, Lincoln," Frank continued, "with his violent temper, was in and out of juvenile hall during his teenage years, and following that, he was in and out of jail for all kinds of counts of assault, battery, and theft. And not only that, but he got a young girl pregnant and didn't offer marriage, resulting in the illegitimate birth of your nephew, Lincoln Junior."

Michael's hands clenched into fists underneath the table. There was no mistaking that Lincoln wasn't exactly a model citizen, but to drag LJ down with him, making him out to be a mistake when Michael thought the best of him, was going too far. "LJ's a good boy. He has done nothing wrong."

"Blood tends to run thicker than you realize."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Michael asked.

Frank ignored his outburst. "You on the other hand, seem to have a clean enough record. Except for that one time arrest for a bar fight and the fact that you visit a therapist now and again, your record is spotless. However, there's no denying some significant smudges."

"And what are those smudges?"

"The incident involving your foster father in the Pershing section of Chicago. While you were in his care, he was brutally murdered," Frank said.

Michael's back stiffened at the mention of his foster father, the man who would beat him and lock him up in the closet. He remembered seeing him lying in a pool of his own blood. Michael pushed the memories outside of his mind. "I didn't kill that man."

"I'm not a fool to think that a mere child could have the strength to kill a full grown man, but obviously there's someone in your life willing to kill for you, and frankly, that's not the kind of person I'd like my daughter to keep company with," Frank said, leveling a stare at Michael.

"I would never let anything hurt Sara," Michael told him. "Not even myself."

"Now I hope you don't think me naïve enough to believe that promise," Frank remarked. "A person's past tends to catch up with them and considering your past and the people you're connected to, it seems like yours will eventually catch up to you."

Michael didn't know what to say to that.

"I feel that my daughter isn't safe with you, and looking at your roots and history, you don't deserve her. She's too good for you," Frank told him.

Michael bowed his head down, a swell of emotions swirling inside of him. Anger. Shame. Resignation. A voice inside him screamed to tell the governor to shove it, that Michael was good enough for Sara. But there was a truth in Frank Tancredi's words, and Michael couldn't help falling for it, letting it run through his mind over and over again.

--

It was hard not to notice the harsh quiet tension in the room when Sara and Eileen came back. Sara shot a look at her father sipping nonchalantly away at his wine glass while Michael seemed to be sinking into his chair. She was about to open her mouth to ask what happened between them, but Eileen stopped her with a silent hand on her arm and a shake of her head.

They proceeded to serve dessert, which was a chocolate marble cheesecake Eileen had baked herself. Frank, however, declined dessert. He finished his wine and dismissed himself from the table, saying that he had some business to finish for the night. Sara was grateful for his early departure, but his lack of presence didn't seem to make Michael feel any better. Eileen tried to engage him in conversation, but he only answered in monosyllable replies, mostly withdrawing into himself as they ate the cheesecake.

After dessert, Sara declared the night late and told her stepmother that she and Michael should probably be head home. Eileen nodded and walked them to the door, getting their coats for them. She bid them to drive safely and hugged her stepdaughter goodbye.

Michael was quiet during the entire drive to her apartment. Even when he walked Sara up to her floor, he said not a word. Sara wanted to ask him about what her father said to him, but she knew that now was not the time.

When they got to her door, Michael let out a long sigh. "Well…"

"Well," Sara said back.

Michael looked into her face, long and hard, as if he was trying to remember its every feature because he believed that he would never see her again. "Goodnight, Sara," he told her quietly and then turned to walk away.

Something in his eyes told Sara that if she let him go right now, she would lose him forever. So she caught his hand before he took even two steps. "Wait."

Michael stopped. Slowly, he turned his head to face her.

"Stay the night, Michael," Sara pleaded. "Please."

Glancing down at her hand clasped around his, Michael felt a little guilty for trying to leave her without a word. He looked up at her face, into her pleading hazel eyes, and realized he couldn't deny her. Nodding, Michael gave in and said, "Okay."

Sara gave him a small smile and led him into her apartment and down the hall to her bedroom. Without words she climbed into bed and tugged Michael in beside her, removing his shoes and jacket while slipping off her own. Lying beside him in bed, Sara then turned her back towards him, scooting back until she felt the front of his chest, and wrapped his arm around her waist. Sara felt Michael tighten his hold around her and she fell asleep wishing that he would never let go.

--

Sara woke up in the middle of the night to find herself alone in bed. Looking around the room, she called out Michael's name, but got no answer. Moving the bed covers from her body, Sara got out of bed and saw Michael's jacket in the same spot she had left it.

Slipping on a robe and a pair of slippers, Sara ventured out of her bedroom to go look for him. As she walked into her living room, she felt a sudden chill. Shivering a little, she pulled her robe more securely around her body, and wondered where the cold air was coming from.

The door to her kitchen was open so Sara went there and saw the window to the fire escape open. Michael was just outside, leaning against the railing and looking up at the night sky.

Sara went over and climbed out the window onto the fire escape. "Hey," she said.

Michael turned his head to see her come up beside him. "Hey."

"What are you doing out here?" Sara asked.

"Thinking."

"About what?"

Michael remained silent.

"Michael," Sara began, "what did my father say to you tonight?"

He let out a sigh before answering. "Nothing."

"It's obviously nothing if it's making you this upset," Sara said. "So what did he say to you?"

Michael wasn't going to answer her. But then he felt her hand upon his arm. He turned to see her patiently waiting for him to tell her. The same emotion he felt when she asked him to stay the night came back and he found himself telling Sara everything, everything about his family, his past, and what her father said to him at dinner.

A splay of emotions flickered across Sara's eyes as she quietly listened to everything. When Michael was finished, she looked him straight in the eye. "You really don't believe that, do you, Michael?" she asked in response when he told her that her father said she was too good for him.

"I don't deserve you," he said.

Sara shook her head. "You stupid ass," she told him while tears began to form at the corners of her eyes. "My father had no right in saying that, and he's wrong anyway."

"Sara…"

But she wouldn't let him finish. "It doesn't matter if you deserve me or not. It doesn't matter that my father may not like you," Sara told him. She then gripped his head with her hands, forcing him to look at her. "I love you."

Michael swallowed hard and his heart lurched in his chest in love for this woman. His hands reached up to her wrists. His thumbs caressed the back of her hands as she cradled his head in her palms. Michael glanced down. Sara took a step towards him, decreasing the distance between them down to nothing. Looking back up, Michael gently rested his forehead upon hers.

"I love you too, Sara," he said breathlessly as his arms circled her waist, pulling her even more tightly against him.

Sara smiled up at him and she tugged his head down to hers, taking his lips in a dizzying kiss that left her warm-headed and feeling like she was floating on air. When his mouth lifted from hers, Sara moved to rest her head upon his shoulder. She felt his hand reach up to play in her hair, caressing the locks between his fingers.

"I'm grateful for your past, Michael," she told him, "because it made you into the man I love today."

Michael smiled into her hair. "I still don't deserve you," he said, "but I'm going to be selfish and keep you anyway."

Sara let out a laugh and then pulled away slightly to look up into his face. She tugged on his hands towards the window. "Let's go back inside."

Michael nodded and followed her back into her apartment, right into her bed.

--

The next morning Frank Tancredi woke up to see that his wife had risen before he did. Walking through his mansion, he found her in the kitchen, sitting at a table, staring pensively into the mug of coffee in her hands.

"You're up earlier than usual," he remarked.

Eileen looked and greeted him with a thoughtful smile. "I didn't sleep well last night."

Frank sat down beside her. "Why not?"

"I think you know why," she told him. "What you did to Michael…I think you were too hard on him."

"You saw the information I found out about him," Frank told her.

"Yes, but I also see the man that Michael is now," Eileen said. "He's a good man that has risen above his past. And he loves our daughter so much and she him. It is as plain as day. I'm afraid that you did damage to their relationship."

"It's what's best for Sara," he said with all the arrogance of any protective father.

Eileen shook her head. "Dear, sometimes what you think is best for Sara isn't what's best for her."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that we should respect Sara as an adult and let her live her life with whoever she wants to be with," Eileen told him.

"He's going to hurt her," Frank said.

"I can't imagine Michael causing any harm to her, and even if he does, I'd like to think Sara's made of stronger stuff than you think she is," she said reaching out her hand to touch her husband's arm. "Should she need us, we'll be there for her, but in the meantime, we should respect the decisions she makes in her life."

Frank just grunted his consent, not wanting to admit that his wife was right, as she always is. Eileen smiled and then kissed her husband on the cheek. She then rose up, placed her empty mug in the sink, and began walking towards the front door.

"Where are you going?" Frank asked, following after her.

"I'm going to go see Sara," she told him as she slipped on her coat. "I'm going to find out if she hates you for what you did last night and if so, hopefully I can repair the damage."

Frank frowned, but Eileen kissed the frown away.

"Don't worry about it. I'll be back later, darling," she told him and was on her way.

--

Surprisingly, Michael and Sara managed to wake up early that morning. They had to since Michael had to go into work later in the day. Together they cooked breakfast, talking, laughing, and kissing all the while. Nothing could ruin the good mood they were in. In the midst of all their noise, they still managed to hear the knock at Sara's door.

Seeing as how Sara was occupied at the stove and Michael was only serving as a distraction to her cooking, she sent him to go answer it. He was surprised to see Eileen Tancredi on the other side.

"Michael!" she exclaimed at the sight of him. "I wasn't expecting to see you here this morning."

Michael smiled at her and then looked down sheepishly. "Sara asked me to stay the night."

Eileen returned his smile, glad to see that her husband's hurtful words didn't cause much harm.

"Would you like to come in?" Michael asked.

"Sure," Eileen said, stepping into the apartment.

"So what brings you here, Mrs. Tancredi?" Michael asked as they walked into the living room.

"I wanted to speak to Sara, but since you're here, I will speak to you." Eileen took in a breath of air, wondering how she could defend her husband while still being in support of Michael and Sara's relationship. "Michael, about my husband last night—"

Michael held up his hand to stop her. "You don't need to say anything."

And as Eileen looked into Michael's face, she realized that she really didn't. It looked like whatever her husband had said to Michael didn't work to hurt his relationship with Sara. Instead, it only made it stronger. Eileen smiled. Even though Michael told her that she didn't need to say anything, she still needed to get something out.

"My husband may be a grouch, but he truly does care about Sara," she told him.

"I know," Michael said, understanding completely.

Sara appeared in the doorway of the kitchen. "Mom, what are you doing here?"

"I just came by for a visit, just to see how you were doing," Eileen said. "And apologize for your father's behavior last night."

Sara smiled at her and her thoughtfulness. "It's all right."

"Would you like to join us for breakfast, Mrs. Tancredi?" Michael asked.

Offering them a sunny smile, Eileen nodded. "I'd love to," she said, following them into the kitchen.

--


	21. Flowers, Cake, Sex, and A Wish

Chapter 21: Flowers, Cake, Sex, and A Wish

--

"Your birthday is coming up," Michael murmured one morning as he and Sara lay in bed together.

Sara drew smooth circles on his chest with the tip of her finger as she answered. "So it is."

Michael smiled into her hair. "What would you like for a present?"

The circling of her finger stopped and she took in a long breath, letting it out slowly. It tickled Michael's chest. "Anything but flowers," Sara said as she snuggled her head more into his shoulder.

Michael cocked his head a little to the side. "Why not flowers?" he asked.

"My father gets me flowers for my birthdays."

Sara didn't move when she said it, but Michael felt something shift in the atmosphere. He detected a bit of bitterness in the tone of her voice, but that didn't make much sense even if Sara was still peeved off at her father for what he did to Michael. The subject of her father made Michael a little uncomfortable, but it seemed like it bothered Sara more this time. He looked down at her in curiosity, but decided against broaching the subject any further. So he just kissed the top of her head and gathered her closer to himself.

"All right then," Michael said. "No flowers."

--

Sara's words about her father and flowers nagged at Michael the rest of the day. Something was up and it bothered him, making him a little distracted while at work.

"Michael? Yoohoo!" Andrew said, as he waved a hand in front of his friend's face.

Michael blinked and snapped out of his thoughts. "Sorry, Andrew." He straightened himself. "What were you saying?"

Andrew gave him a funny look. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I was just thinking."

"About what?"

"About Sara's birthday."

"Her birthday?" Andrew asked, surprised that this was the first of hearing of it. "When's her birthday?"

"Next week."

Andrew looked appalled. "Next week! Man, why didn't you tell me sooner! I don't have a present for her!"

Michael softly laughed at his friend for being miffed about not having a gift ready for Sara yet. "Neither do I," Michael told him.

Andrew grinned and gave a mock snort. "Some boyfriend you are," he teased. "But seriously, do you have an idea of what to get her?"

Michael shook his head.

"You should bake her a cake," came a voice from behind them.

Michael and Andrew turned and saw Lily walk up to them, a smile on her face. Andrew smiled back at her and as soon as she reached them, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close.

"A cake?" Michael repeated dubiously. "You do realize that I'm not a baker, right?"

Lily just laughed. "It's the thought that counts. She'll think the gesture's sweet. At least, that's what happened with my mom and dad," she told him. "My dad baked my mom a cake back when they were dating. She told me that it tasted terrible, but it made her fall in love with him more because he was willing to try something he wasn't comfortable with just for her."

"Really?"

Lily nodded.

Michael thought about it for a moment and then shook his head. "I've never baked anything before in my life. The only experience I have is licking the spoon after my mom was done mixing the brownie batter when I was a kid."

Again Lily laughed. "Just find a recipe and follow the instructions. It's not that hard."

Thinking about it again, Michael began warming up to the idea of baking Sara a cake. "All right then."

"Well, that's all great for you, but what about us?" Andrew asked. "What are we supposed to get Sara for her birthday?"

Lily kissed her boyfriend's cheek. "Don't worry about it. I'll buy something and put your name on it too."

"Just don't get her flowers," Michael told them.

"Why not?" Lily asked.

Andrew interrupted Michael before he could explain about her father. "Remember, Lindsey told us that Sara didn't like getting flowers."

That was news to Michael. "When did she tell you that?"

"The night of your first date with her."

"The night when you guys were spying on us?" Michael asked to clarify.

"We weren't spying on you," Andrew insisted lamely, but at Michael's look, he admitted to the guilt. "Okay, we were. But that was what Lindsey told us. Sara doesn't like getting flowers."

"Why not?" Michael asked.

Andrew shrugged. "I dunno. You should go ask Lindsey."

Michael would do just that. Later, when he had a free hour, he dropped by the hospital. He walked up to the office that Sara and Lindsey shared together, and fortunately, found Lindsey there by herself.

She looked up from a file she was reading when he came into the room. "Hey Michael," Lindsey greeted with a friendly smile. "Sara's with a patient now, but she should be done in a little while."

"Actually, I came to see you. I wanted to ask you about something," he told her.

"About what?" Lindsey asked with concern when she noticed the serious look on his face.

Michael wasn't sure how to start off the subject, but then decided to just be direct. "Why doesn't Sara like getting flowers as a present?"

Lindsey's mouth formed a small 'O' shape. She looked down and then back up, and then let out a small sigh. "Sit," she said, pointing to a chair. Michael complied.

"You see, Michael," Lindsey began, "it's not that Sara doesn't like flowers, it's just…" She thought about her next words. "It has everything to do with her father."

"I'm listening," Michael said, urging her on to continue.

"As you might guess, the governor is a hard working man. Even before he was governor, he was always busy with his career so his kids hardly saw him growing up. He missed out on a lot of things in their lives…school award ceremonies, recitals, birthdays… I guess Sara kind of took it personally."

"But that doesn't explain about the flowers," Michael said.

"Whenever the governor couldn't make an event, he sent flowers in his stead," Lindsey told him. "Instead of being a symbol of love and affection, flowers have become a symbol of disappointment for Sara. She once told me, and I quote, 'What's the point in giving a person flowers when they die and end up in the trash a week later?'"

"She said that?" Michael asked, frowning at the cynical remark.

Lindsey nodded.

"Sara never said anything when I gave her flowers," Michael said.

"That's because you gave them to her in person. She probably appreciated it when you did that," Lindsey said with a tiny smile.

But it didn't exactly make Michael feel any better about the subject. He didn't like that Sara felt that way, that she was bitter about something. He felt an urge, no, a need to rectify the situation.

A beeping sound cut through the silence in the room. Lindsey reached down to her hip and unclipped her pager from her belt. "Damn," she swore. "And here I thought I would have an easy day." She gave Michael an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, I have to go."

Michael shook his head. "It's okay."

They both stood up and Michael followed Lindsey out of the office.

"Thanks for explaining it to me, Lindsey," Michael said out in the hall.

Lindsey gave him a nod and a wave, then turned down the hall. Michael let out a small sigh and began walking in the opposite direction.

--

A week later, Sara got a phone call from her older sister and her kids in the morning.

"Happy Birthday Auntie Sara!" Connor and Angie screamed happily into the phone.

Sara smiled and sat down on her sofa, pulling her legs up. "Thanks you guys," she told them.

"All right you two, give me back the phone and finish getting ready for school." Sara heard her sister and the slight shuffling of the phone as it exchanged hands. "They didn't burst your eardrums, did they?" Rose asked good humouredly.

Sara laughed. "No, but I think people are going to have to speak up so I can hear them for the rest of the day." She then picked up a card that was resting on her coffee table. "I got a birthday card from Cameron yesterday."

"Oh, how is she? It seems like forever since I last talked to her," Rose said about their little sister who lived in California, studying to pursue a career in the film industry.

"She said she was fine, that she was learning a lot about camera work and such, and that if she ever meets him, she'll get me George Clooney's autograph," Sara said.

Rose chuckled. "So what are your plans for today? Anything special?"

"I'm supposed to have breakfast with Mom and Dad, then lunch with my friends and then Michael said he had something planned for me tonight," Sara said.

"That's great," Rose said.

"You want to join us for lunch?" Sara offered.

"Wish I could, but I have work. That's why I called so early to wish you a happy birthday before your day started."

"Thanks Rose." Sara heard a beeping sound on the phone. "I'm getting another call."

"Oh, that's okay. I need to go drop off the twins at school now anyway. Have a happy birthday, Sara!"

"Bye," Sara said and switched the call over. "Hello?"

"Hi darling," came the voice of her stepmother. "Happy Birthday!"

"Thanks Mom," Sara said. She then waited for her stepmom to say something else, but she didn't. "Let me guess, you and Dad can't make it for breakfast?"

"I'm so sorry, Sara," Eileen said sounding remorseful. "Something came up and—"

"No, it's okay, Mom," Sara interrupted her, and for once she actually felt okay with it. Probably because she had other things to look forward to in the day.

"Oh, but I do hate breaking promises to you though, especially on your birthday," Eileen told her.

"It's not your fault."

"But still…"

"Mom, it's fine. I'm still going to enjoy myself today. Don't worry about it."

"I'm glad to hear that, dear," Eileen said. "Have a happy birthday."

Sara smiled into the phone. "I will. Bye." Five seconds after she flipped her phone shut it began ringing again. The screen read 'Michael.'

"Hello."

"Happy Birthday, Sara." Michael's deep voice was like silk to her ears. "I wanted to be the first to tell you that."

A soft chuckle escaped from Sara's lips. "Well, I hate to burst your bubble, Michael, but my sister, Connor, Angie, and my stepmom beat you to it."

"I knew I shouldn't have hit the SNOOZE button," he said.

Another laugh came out of her. "You can make it up to me by buying me breakfast," Sara said.

"Breakfast?" Michael sounded confused. "But I thought…"

"Last minute change of plans in my parents' schedule," Sara told him. "So I'm free for breakfast if you want me."

"I always want you."

That sent a thrilling shiver down Sara's spine, spreading all the way to her fingertips and making her toes curl. "Well then, come and get me, Michael Scofield," she dared him, trying to sound sultry and sexy over the phone.

"I will then," Michael murmured, accepting her challenge.

--

Sara stepped into the small diner and looked around for Michael. She found him sitting in a booth off in the corner. As if he sensed her looking at him, he automatically turned his head in her direction, caught sight of her, and smiled. Smiling back, Sara made her way towards him, wondering how his smiles always seemed to melt her insides. Michael stood up when she reached the table and he stepped towards her, planting a sweet kiss upon her lips.

"Happy Birthday," he said to her.

Sara returned the kiss and then sat down across from him, and they fell into their usual comfortable chit chat. Michael asked about Connor and Angie and when Sara was going to babysit them so that he could see them again, making Sara smile and laugh. They were so into their own conversation, their own world actually, that they barely noticed the waitress taking their orders for breakfast, or later when she came back with their food.

"So, what exactly do you have planned for me tonight?" Sara asked when Michael lifted his cup of coffee up to his mouth.

She could see him smile behind the rim of the mug as he took a sip. His eyes sparkled with mischievous excitement. "It's a surprise," Michael said after placing the cup back down.

"Is that all you're going to tell me?"

He grinned. "Yes."

Sara pouted. "You're no fun."

The grin remained. "All you need to do is be ready by seven," he told her.

"Fine," Sara said, lifting her own cup of coffee to her lips, already anxious for day to turn into night.

They finished up their breakfast soon after that and strode out of the diner, hand-in-hand. Michael walked Sara to her car and kissed her when they reached the car door.

"I'll see you later at lunch."

Sara wrapped her arms around his neck before he could pull away and kissed him again. "And later tonight?"

He smiled down at her. "And later tonight," Michael said, brushing another kiss full of promise against her lips.

--

"Happy Birthday!"

Sara smiled at her best friend as she arrived at work. "Thanks Lindsey."

Lindsey presented her with a pink envelope. "Here you go," she said with a grin. "Vincent wanted me to put his name on the gift too, but I told him that just because I'm your best friend and he's dating me, doesn't mean he can skip out of getting his sister a birthday present."

A chuckle escaped Sara's mouth as she opened up the envelope and pulled out a gift card. "Victoria's Secret. Thank you," she said with a smile.

Lindsey gave a shrug of her shoulders. "Yeah, well I figured that I should get you something that both you and Michael might enjoy," she said with teasing grin and a waggle of her eyebrows.

A slight blush tinged Sara's cheeks with pink. "Lindsey…"

Her friend just laughed. Her laugh died down when Sara's eyes caught sight of something on her desk. Lindsey followed her gaze to the large bouquet of flowers sitting neatly on the desk. "Those came in for you fifteen minutes ago," she told Sara.

Sara walked towards the flower arrangement and plucked the small card out from between the stems.

_Sorry I couldn't make breakfast._

_Happy Birthday Sara._

_-Dad_

Fingering one of the petals of a flower, Sara let out a small sigh. Lindsey watched her with careful pity.

"You could just tell your father not to send you flowers anymore," Lindsey suggested.

"And deprive the flower shop of some money?" Sara shook her head. "Besides, I think it makes my father feel better about himself when he sends them to me. Makes him feel a little less guilty."

Lindsey shrugged her shoulders, not even daring to know the mind of Frank Tancredi. "Whatever makes you feel better."

"You think a patient might like them?"

"You want to give the flowers to a patient?" Lindsey asked, a little surprised.

"Just because I don't want them doesn't mean they should go to waste," Sara said. "So which patient do you think I should give them to?"

Lindsey stared at her friend in a most curious manner. "You're in a good mood today."

"It's my birthday."

"Yeah, but you're not usually in this good of a mood on your birthday," Lindsey pointed out. "Not that I have any problem with your good mood," she added with a smile.

Sara responded with a smile. "This year is different," she said, looking at the flowers. "So who do you think might like the flowers?" Sara asked again.

Lindsey thought for a moment. "Mrs. Feliciano," she said. "With two broken legs, she's stuck in bed most of the time. A few flowers might just be the thing to brighten up her day."

"Good point," Sara agreed and called up a nurse to take the floral arrangement to Mrs. Feliciano's room.

Lindsey watched her friend make the call and saw how happy she was. There was a brightness and a glow to her face and smile and she spoke with a bit of animation and excitement in her voice.

Yup, this birthday was different for Sara this year. And it was a good thing. After Sara made the call, she turned to Lindsey and saw her staring at her. "What?"

"I have a confession to make to you," Lindsey said. "I told Michael why you don't like flowers."

"Oh," Sara said softly. "What did he say?" she asked carefully.

"Not much," she told her. "He looked pensive at first but then he got this determined look in his face."

"Determined?" Sara repeated. "About what?"

Lindsey shrugged. "Who knows."

--

"So how'd your cake turn out?" Andrew asked Michael hours later as they, along with Lily, waited for Sara and Lindsey for lunch at a restaurant.

"It looks all right," Michael said. He had baked the cake last night, making a mess of his kitchen in the process. The cake was balanced and proportioned all around, with no part of it sloping. It had two layers with a bit of chocolate frosting in between and covering all around. Michael had gotten a cake decorator and managed to write "Happy Birthday Sara!" in red on the top.

Andrew's chuckle brought Michael back to the present. Lily smiled at him and said, "I'm sure it's just fine."

Michael nodded in appreciation and turned his head towards the restaurant's entrance. In stepped Sara and Lindsey. He didn't know how, but Michael seemed to always sense Sara's presence when she was near. He could be blind, deaf and anosmic, and he would still be able to find her in a crowded room. He caressed her with a smile when she looked in his direction and made her way towards their table, with Lindsey following at her side.

"About time you guys came," Andrew said jokingly. They had only been waiting about five minutes.

"Happy Birthday Sara!" Lily said.

"Thanks," Sara said with a smile as she sat down next to Michael.

The waitress came by their table, took their orders, and left. The five of them fell into friendly conversation while they waited. Lily presented Sara with a purple gift bag with white tissue paper sticking out from the opening. Sara reached inside and pulled out a soft black cashmere sweater.

"Oh thank you, Lily, Andrew," Sara said.

Lily smiled while Andrew shrugged his shoulders. He turned to Lindsey. "So what did you get her?" he asked.

"A gift card to Victoria's Secret."

Everyone turned to see Michael's reaction. He was struggling not to grin, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly. Everyone except Michael and Sara laughed. Sara just blushed and kissed his cheek.

The waitress, along with another, came back with their lunches, and the five of them ate, talked, and laughed as the hour passed by.

Lindsey glanced down at the leather watch on her wrist. "We better wrap this up you guys. Sara and I have to get back to the hospital."

"Already?" Lily asked while Michael asked a passing waiter for the check.

"Afraid so," Sara said with an apologetic smile.

"Well," Andrew began, "we could have had a party tonight, but Mr. Selfish Boyfriend over here decided he wanted to keep the birthday girl all to himself tonight."

Michael just smiled into his glass as he finished off his soda. Once lunch was over and paid for, they piled out of the restaurant, one by one. Michael pulled Sara into his arms for an embrace.

"Remember, be ready by seven," he reminded her, brushing a kiss against her temple.

"I can't wait."

--

And she really couldn't. Once she got home from work around five o' clock, Sara scrambled to get ready for the evening. She took a quick shower and blow-dried her hair, curling it with a curling iron after that. She applied a gentle amount of makeup, a touch of lip gloss on her lips and some sooty coal eye shadow around her eyes. Slipping into a pale blue silver dress that rippled down to her knees, Sara checked her reflection in the mirror. She thought she looked rather like a princess. Smiling, Sara slipped on a pair of silver heeled sandals and checked the time. 6:45 P.M. Fifteen minutes until seven. She wondered anxiously about what Michael had planned for her for tonight all day, she couldn't believe the night was already here. While she waited, she tidied up her apartment a bit. Right on the dot at seven o' clock, there was a knock at the door. Sara used a bit of restraint in not rushing to the door. Smoothing her dress with her hands, she took in a deep breath and reached for the doorknob…

But it wasn't Michael on the other side. Instead, there was an elderly looking gentleman with gray hair dressed in a black suit and hat, and in his arms was a long slender white box. Sara recognized that type of box. It usually held long stemmed roses. Flowers.

"Miss Tancredi?" the man asked. Sara nodded. "My name is George. And these are for you," he said, handing her the box. "From Mr. Scofield."

For one quick second, as she was accepting the box, Sara had a sinking feeling that something had happened. That Michael wasn't able to make it tonight and in his stead he was giving her flowers in an apology. But then she remembered that Lindsey had told her that she told him about how she felt about flowers and knew that Michael would never do that to her. Sara looked up at the old man just to be sure.

He offered her a smile. "I'm supposed to take you to him after you have opened the box."

Sara returned his smile and lifted the lid off the box. She gasped in surprise at what she saw. Instead of a dozen long stemmed red roses, there were red origami paper flowers lined up together on shredded tissue paper in the box. Sara found a small note in the middle of the box and picked it up.

_I know you said 'no flowers.'_

_But these won't die._

_Just like my love for you._

Sara felt herself become teary eyed and smiled. This had to be one of the most romantic things anyone had ever done for her.

"There's something written on the back," George pointed out.

Sara turned the note over.

_For the twelfth rose, you're going to have to come to me._

_I love you._

_-Michael_

Sara counted up the number of origami flowers in the box. There were only eleven. One more made twelve and twelve made a dozen and a dozen meant "I love you." Sara smiled again.

"Shall we be off, Miss?" George asked.

Sara nodded tearfully. "Yes. Just let me put these away and then we can go." She went back into her apartment and set the box of flowers on her desk. Quickly, she made her way back to George, who held out a gentlemanly arm out to her.

"Let's go," he said with a smile.

Sara gladly took his arm and let him escort her out of the building to a small black car. Opening the door for her, George let her into the back seat of the car. He gently shut the door after she slid inside and moved to the driver's seat. As they drove, Sara recognized the route they were taking. They were heading towards Michael's apartment. Her brows furrowed in curiosity as they drove up to the tall building.

"I don't understand," Sara said as George helped her out of the car. "What are we doing at Michael's apartment building?"

George smiled at her. "Apparently, your Mr. Scofield has a nice dinner planned for you at home," he said, handing her a key. "A romantic man, he is."

Sara's fingers covered the brass key in her palm. "Yes, he is."

George tipped his hat at her and bid her goodbye. "Have a wonderful birthday, Miss Tancredi."

Sara smiled at him. "Thank you."

He nodded and went back to the car and drove away. Sara held the key in her hand until it warmed to her touch. She made her way inside the building and took the elevator up to Michael's floor. Using the key, Sara unlocked his door and stepped inside.

It was dark inside, save for the light that came from the candles set up all around the room, casting a romantic glowing atmosphere everywhere. Looking around, Sara found a table set for two by the window overlooking the lights of the city of Chicago. She took a few steps toward it, but then felt someone behind her. Michael.

His warmth surrounded her, and she leaned back into him, feeling the front of his chest against her back. His left arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer to him, while his right hand appeared in front of her face, holding up a red origami flower. The twelfth one.

"Happy Birthday," Michael whispered into her ear.

Sara smiled and took the flower from his fingertips. "How many times have you said that to me today?" she asked.

Michael thought for a second. "Only three times."

"You've said it enough now."

Sara felt Michael smile against her ear. "Okay, then how about 'I love you,'?" he asked.

Her smile turned into a grin. "That will do," she said, turning in his arms to face him.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and tugged his head down to hers. Michael was only happy to oblige her, taking her mouth in a deep and caressing kiss that made her toes curl and turned her insides into molten honey. When he lifted his head, Sara sighed happily, but didn't let go of her hold around him. Her eyes traveled to the origami flower which rested on Michael's shoulder and she twirled it between her fingertips. Michael's eyes watched the movement.

"What do you think of the flowers?" he asked her.

Sara smiled brightly up at him. "They're perfect."

He smiled back and kissed her again. "Come on," he said leading her to the table. "I'll go get dinner."

"You cooked me dinner?" Sara asked.

"I did more than that," Michael said motioning to a covered dish on the table.

Curious, Sara walked over, set the flower down and gripped the silver handle of the dish, lifting the lid from the plate and finding a cake. And not just any cake, a homemade cake. "You baked me a cake?"

Michael smiled shyly and nodded. "I can't guarantee that it's edible though," he told her. "It's my first time baking."

Sara let out a chuckle. She took her fingertip and scrapped off a bit of chocolate frosting from the side. She popped her finger in her mouth, licking the sweet frosting off the tip, and smiled. "Can we eat it now?" Sara asked.

"Before dinner?"

She nodded.

Michael chuckled. "Dessert before dinner? Tsk, tsk, Sara," he jokingly reproved her.

"I _am_ the birthday girl," she said.

He let out another chuckle. "All right then. We'll do what the birthday girl wants. But first," he said, reaching for a candle and a matchbox. "You have to blow out the candle and make a wish." He placed the candle in the middle of the cake and lit it.

"Aren't you going to sing for me?" Sara asked.

Michael smiled and then wrapped his arms around Sara, embracing her from behind. He brought his mouth close to her ear and began singing "Happy Birthday" to her in a gentle murmur. Sara shivered as she felt the sweet vibrations of his tone. His voice alone could make love to her.

When he was done singing, he whispered into her ear to make a wish. Sara closed her eyes and made her wish. Then she leaned forward and blew out the candle. Michael kissed the side of her head and then moved to cut her a slice of cake. He handed her a plate with the cake slice and a fork. Sara took both, cut off a piece of cake, and put it into her mouth. Michael watched her carefully

"Mmmm…" she said, relishing the sweet moist cake in her mouth. "It's really good."

"Really?"

Sara nodded and cut off another piece with her fork. She brought it up to his lips for him to try. Michael let her feed him and smiled. "It is good," he said, and he reached for her plate to take another piece of cake, but Sara pulled away.

"Hey," she said with a laugh. "Get your own slice!"

Michael laughed with her, but still managed to snag a piece of her cake. "But it's so much fun to take yours," he said licking his fingers of chocolate frosting. He reached for her again.

Sara squealed and tried to squirm away, but Michael caught her.

"Actually, it would be even more fun to just eat you," he said, taking a hold of her, covering her mouth with his and tasting the sweetness inside.

Sara melted inside. She felt Michael take the plate and fork from her hands and set them on the table. When his hands returned to her they were flaming hot, just like his erotic mouth as his tongue caressed and mated with hers. Sara burned for him, her skin craving his skin as she pressed herself up against his hard body. Michael let out a groan when he felt her breasts press up against his chest. He pulled his mouth away and looked down at her. His eyes were smoldering.

Sara nearly swooned at his look of desire at her. She felt the same way. Gripping his hand, Sara led him to his bedroom. In the darkness of the room with only the moon as their light, they came together in another passionate kiss, her hands gripping his shorn head, his fingers running through her auburn hair. Sara's hands slipped to his chest and began unbuttoning his shirt. When she got the last button undone, Michael shrugged his shirt off his shoulders, baring his chest while Sara immediately reached for the zipper of his pants. Her hands brushed the growing bulge there, and Michael groaned as his pants fell to the floor.

"Wait, Sara," Michael pleaded just as she worked his boxers down his butt, leaving him naked in front of her.

"Why?" Sara asked breathlessly as she looked up at him.

Michael took a long hard look at her, enjoying the sight of her flushed and aroused. Her dress shimmered silver in the moonlight. God, she was beautiful, he thought. She looked like a goddess. He didn't want to rush this time. He wanted to relish the moment, worship her, give her the sweet pleasure she deserved. Sara seemed to see this in his eyes and calmed down a bit.

He kicked his pants and boxers away from his ankles and turned Sara around so her back was facing him. His hands reached for the zipper of her dress, pulling it down slowly. His palms lifted to his shoulder, brushing the sleeves of her dress off her shoulders as if they were simple flower petals that had landed on her skin. Sara had worn no bra, so her breasts were bared to the cool air. It made Michael even harder.

He pushed all of her hair to her left shoulder and brought his face to the right side of her head, nuzzling her with his nose and mouth. Sara sighed and leaned back against him, feeling his erection through her panties against her buttocks. Michael's hands stole around to her front to cup each breast. His fingers tugged, rolled, and caressed her nipples until they tightened into hard buds, causing Sara to moan. She pushed her hips back in a sweet undulated move against his. Michael groaned in need as he scattered kisses all over her neck and shoulders, nipping lightly at the skin there.

Sara reached for his hands at her breasts and urged them downwards to slip her underwear off. He did so and turned Sara to face him. His eyes fed off the sight of her beautiful and naked in the moonlight. He brought her to his bed, slipping both of them under the covers.

Michael covered her body with hers, his weight softly pressing her into the mattress, as he kissed her. His hand ran down the length of her body, enjoying the smooth heat of her skin. His fingers found the wet flesh between her thighs and slipped inside. Sara gasped as he found all the sweet spots he knew would give her the most pleasure, caressing and teasing. She whimpered in need when he slipped his fingers out, but he caught the whimper in his mouth with another kiss.

As his lips probed hers, he felt Sara's hands move to the front of his chest, and suddenly Michael found himself on his back with Sara straddling his hips.

She grinned down at him and gave him another probing kiss down to his very soul. Her hands slid seductively down to his stomach. He was so aroused that she had to pull his erection away from his belly. Sara ran her hand slowly along the hard shaft, her fingertips rubbing the wet tip.

"Sara…" Michael gasped. He needed her.

Sara answered him with another kiss. Then she positioned herself over him. She took him inside her slowly, inch by sweet inch, letting out little hums of pleasure at the exquisite friction of their flesh moving against each other. Michael's head fell back onto the pillows as he felt the sweet slide of his flesh inside her. Sara gasped when she plunged down onto him, taking him to the hilt. She then began to move. Michael moved with her as she rode him, his hard flesh inside her soft flesh. His hands slid up from her waist to her breasts to her arching neck as the pleasure began to build. Her skin flushed red as their rhythm quickened and Michael felt himself on the brink of exploding.

He coaxed her to lean more weight over his body and the sweet change of angle brought forth the explosion they knew was coming. Sara shuddered while Michael gave a guttural cry as he released himself into her. He reached for her, bringing her mouth to his to swallow her cries of pleasure as a wave of heated ecstasy washed over them, spreading from the spot where they were joined together to everywhere else in their limbs.

Collapsing down on him, Sara breathed heavily against his chest, her breath cooling the hot sweaty skin there. Michael wrapped his arms around her bare back, his hands playing in her hair. He brushed a kiss against her forehead and murmured an "I love you," into her ear.

"I love you too," she told him.

They lay in bed for a long time, kissing, caressing, and playing with each other, until Sara's tummy growled, aching for food after their love play. Michael smiled and kissed her stomach.

"Why don't we go finish that cake?" he suggested

Sara nodded in eager agreement. They got out of bed, leaving the warm sheets in a wrinkled mess on the bed. Sara picked up Michael's shirt and slipped it on around her body, only buttoning a couple of the middle buttons and rolling up the sleeves. Michael smiled at that and slipped his boxers on.

They strode hand-in-hand back into the living room where the cake was. Sara grabbed the small slice of cake she hadn't finished while Michael grabbed the plate with the rest of the cake, along with another small plate, and they brought it to his coffee table so that the two of them could sit together on the sofa. They snuggled together and fed each other cake until most of it was gone.

Sara licked her fork of frosting. "I think I gained a couple of pounds," she declared, looking down at her waist.

"No, you didn't," Michael said as he pulled her onto his lap. He swept an appraising hand along her hip. "I know your body better than you do, and I would know if your weight changed." He brought his lips to her ear. "And even if you did, we would just work it off later anyway," he said with a grin.

Sara laughed and she pressed a quick kiss against his lips. Her eyes then traveled to the table where she left the origami flower. She scooted off Michael's lap and went to retrieve it, before coming back.

Again she twirled the flower between her fingers and smiled. "Can you teach me how to fold this?" she asked.

"No."

Sara looked into his face. "Why not?"

He smiled at her. "If you knew how to make them yourself, it would take the fun out of making them for you for me."

She laughed and kissed him again.

"I could teach how to fold something else, if you want me to," Michael said, plucking the flower from her hand.

"Sure."

Michael lifted Sara from his lap and left the room in search of origami paper. He came back with two square white sheets.

"What are we going to make?" Sara asked.

"A crane," Michael told her. "Follow my lead."

For the next seven minutes, Michael taught Sara how to fold a paper crane. She was a fast learner, catching onto each precise fold and bending of the paper in the process. Soon they had folded two white origami cranes. Michael took both cranes and placed them on the coffee table in a way so that the tips of their beaks were touching as if in a kiss. Sara smiled and leaned her head onto his shoulder.

"You know, there's a legend that says that if you fold a thousand cranes, then you'll be granted a wish," Michael told her.

"How many cranes have you folded?" Sara asked, looking up at him.

Michael gave a little shrug of his shoulders. "Not sure, but even if I had folded a thousand, I wouldn't know what to wish for," he said, his arm wrapping around her shoulders, bringing her close. "I already have everything I could have ever asked for." He smiled down at her. "What would you wish for?"

Sara smiled back. "I already made my wish when I blew out my birthday candle," she pointed out.

"So what did you wish for?" he asked.

She just smiled at him and moved to straddle his lap again that night. Michael wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned into her kiss, letting her get away with not telling him. Sara smiled as he kissed her while she remembered the wish she made earlier.

She had wished that this man would love her forever, because she knew she would love him for even longer than that.

--


End file.
